Agile Raff!

Finally, I've competed in an Agility trial with a Keeshond! This is only a dream I've had for, say, 10 years or so. Just a dream come true, that's all. No big whoop.
He did really well. After a shaky start (he ran around the second jump, so I brought him back to try again), he stayed with me remarkably well. He didn't knock any bars, either.


We had to skip the Dog Walk and the A-Frame because we just haven't had enough training time on either of those for me to feel he could accomplish them safely. So our run was just FEO (For Exhibit Only...no scoring), but I was still very pleased to get him out there and see what he could do.

In the pinwheel, I did a rear cross after the first jump. I'm kind of proud of that move because I anticipated (correctly) that he would shoot out ahead of me after that jump, so I could easily cross behind him and then get him back on track with me in time for the second pinwheel jump. It worked! I also knew that I wouldn't be able to get the rear cross in BEFORE the first jump b/c we always end up waaaaay too close together (as you can see in the picture above.)

This is the third to the last jump--he went way out after this jump, ignoring all my cues that he needed to collect and turn right away...but I was able to get him back to me pretty easily, and he didn't take the off-course jump that was right in front of him, so all was well.

We finished our run just fine, thank you very much. And he really enjoyed himself, despite having to wait about 4 hours before being able to run. Unlike Sheila, who got so stressed out, he stayed pretty calm in the car. And I am amazed at how focused he actually was once we got into the ring, especially since he'd never been at this facility before, and had never trialed before...so he really had no idea what to expect. If dogs expect things, that is.

Our next trial is October 5th...CPE Level 1, Standard and Jumpers, NOT FEO. Yee-haw!

Flyball!

I haven't posted much about Flyball, which is odd because it's the dog sport that I actually DO the most. Wyatt and I run Flyball with the Muddy Paws A-Flyin' team here in Salem. We joined them about a year ago, after "defecting" from the Portland Tail Blazers.

Wyatt has turned out to be a wonderfully fast (4.21 seconds) and reliable Flyball dog. He loves to race the dog in the other lane, and he especially loves running in the start position (b/c then he's going head to head with the other dog, right off the bat.) He stares the other guy down while we're waiting for the lights to go, and then he flies down the lane like a bullet from a gun.

His turn is a thing of beauty, too...if I do say so myself. He doesn't stutter-step up to the box, but rather he hurls himself full-power onto it with all four paws, then pushes off with his back legs, just like the swimmers that give the "swimmer's box turn" its name. And his turn doesn't fade. He does it the same way, every time. (beaming)

This is the shot I never get to see myself, because by the time he's running back to me, I've turned and am running away from him, screaming his name at the top of my lungs. That really speeds him up because he's trying to catch me. His return tends to be even faster than his run to the box.

After the run, happy dog, happy human.

For the Love of Side Dishes

I'm loving my low carb life (I've lost 15 pounds since January, and haven't felt deprived for one second.) But lately I find myself tiring of evening meals that consist solely of a tasty meat and a yummy veggie. Come supper-time, I find myself hankering for a good ol' side dish (and apparently, for adapting southern speech affectations, too.) I've learned to listen to my hankerings...to try to ignore or suppress them is the sure route to relapse and weight gain. I must find satisfying low carb alternatives to mac & cheese, potatoes au gratin, etc. But I don't want cruddy knock-offs of those fabulously comforting dishes...I want something that gives me the same effect, without leaving me saddened and depressed that I'm left only with a cheap substitute, and still longing for the real thing.

Last weekend, I was surprised to find this craving fulfilled by the cheesy cauliflower souffle thing. That recipe has a bit of flour in it (I used brown rice flour, given DH's celiac-ness), but it's not a lot, and I find I can tolerate a few carbs in the evening without risking any damage to my low carb soul. I used Italian seasoned almond flour (almond flour mixed with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese) instead of the bread crumbs on top.

Now today, when I was out walking Boca, I started envisioning deep fried zucchini cakes...something like crab cakes, but with zucchini instead. Given the nature of the internet, I assumed that not only would someone else already have had that same vision, but would undoubtedly already have posted a recipe on-line. Click Yahoo, enter "zucchini cakes", scroll down to find an entry that also includes the words "deep fried", and viola, satisfaction after about 3 seconds of effort: Zucchini Cakes! Yee-haw! I plan to use almond flour instead of the bread crumbs in the recipe.

I'll try them tonight and post the results later. If this pays off, I shall continue my search for satisfying low carb side dish recipes.

Raff's First Agility Class

I’ve been taking an Agility class with Sheila this summer--it's a Starter/Novice class for people and dogs who are pretty much competition-ready. Unfortunately, Sheila (who has arthritis) has been through a really bad patch these last few weeks, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm afraid I'm finally facing her complete and total retirement from all dog sports. That's a sad thing to face, in and of itself, but that also meant that I'd have to stop attending that class because none of my other dogs are even close to competition-ready. And taking a different, lower level class is problematic because: 1) the timeslot for this class works perfectly for me; 2) the location for this class is also perfect for me; and 3) the people in the class as nice and friendly and I like them, and I like the instructor a lot...and that combination is a rare thing for me!

Enter Raffy, the pinch hitter! He's only had a few private Agility lessons, and lots of time with me in the backyard. But my instructor said it was fine for me to bring Raff in place of Sheila, even though he's not nearly as far along in his training. So last night we went, and we both had a great time. He still can't do some of the obstacles, so we just stuck to the jumps and tunnels...but I was really pleased to see that my backyard foundation training has paid off. He stuck with me the whole class and kept his focus remarkably well. He didn't resort to spinning in front of me (something we've worked very hard on fixing!), and he didn't knock any jump bars.

I'm so pleased with my little man. This is the second time he's had to sub for his big sister, Sheila. The first time was almost 3 years ago. We were in a beginning Flyball class, when Sheila suffered a soft-tissue injury in one of her front paws, and she needed 6 weeks of recovery time. (The trials and tribulations caused by poor structure in dogs is a topic I'll have to save for another post.) We had just started the class, so with 4 weeks to go, I started bringing Raffy instead. At that time, Raff was very young, very hyper, and had undergone almost no socialization. He'd lived with us for less than 6 months. It was pretty much a disaster. Everytime I let go of his leash, he'd go flying across the arena to visit the nearest dog. He went completely berserk everytime he came within 75 feet of another dog--that's no exaggeration.

Fast forward 3 years, with age and a lot of reactive dog work (took a class, practiced our lessons...never stopped practicing our lessons), he's a changed dog. He's a joy to play with--a pleasure to have in class, as they say.

Yesterday's Low Carb Menu

Yesterday, I had:

Cheese stick
Milk
Coffee w/Splenda

Leftover steak
Leftover cheesy cauliflower souffle-thing
(as some of the comments suggested, I added some sauteed onion and used seasoned almond flour--instead of the breadcrumbs--for more flavor.)

Dry roasted peanuts
Milk

Sugar-free macaroon

Grilled bratwurst
Sugar-free coleslaw (bag of angel cut cabbage, 1/4 c. Splenda, 1/4 c. mayo, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar);
Milk

Homemade sugar-free blueberry icecream...recipe later.

I love this diet.

We Q'd!!!!!

Finally, after over 5 years of on-again-off-again training, I overcame my reservations and entered Sheila in an Agility trial. We just entered for 1 run, 1 day--CPE Level 2 (novice), July 19, 2008, in Turner, OR.


I was nervous, but not as bad as I can get sometimes. I kept it pretty cool, if I do say so myself. My strategy was to keep Sheila in the car so that she wouldn't get too stressed out. We had to wait for about 4 hours before we finally got to go, so it was good that I'd made that plan. By the time it was our turn, she was still pretty fresh and engaged. (When she gets too stressed out, she just disconnects completely.)


I won't say it was perfect--there was some sniffing before the dog walk, and again after the 2nd jump, and again before the teeter. We had to restart the weaves once. At one point I said "here" when I meant to say "go", so we almost got tangled up.


But the rest of the run was pretty...it felt good. I gestured, she went to the right place and did the right thing. I turned, and she moved with me. And most of the time she was smiling and enjoying herself (nevermind the sniffing!)


A professional photographer, Joe Camp, was there. He took this photo.


This might be...well, pretty much for sure was, Sheila's first and last Agility trial. We took an Agility class to get ready for it, but even though I kept her jump heights low (8 inches), and even though we kept training light and rep's few, it seemed to take it's toll. She's nine years old now, and she has spondylosis and probably arthritis in her shoulders, too. For the latter half of July, and now most of August, she's been pretty uncomfortable...waking up in the night, panting, pacing, can't get comfortable. Slowly she's improving, but I can't conscience pushing her any further.


It's all just play now...whatever she wants to do.

Just an update

Things are still going well on many fronts.

I had a wonderful breakfast with low carb pancakes (still lovin' that almond flour!)

Yesterday, I played Agility with Sheila in the backyard, then in the afternoon/evening I took Raff and Wyatt to Flyball practice. This morning, Boca and I took a lovely walk in the rain.

Many weeks ago, Terry finished raking the moss out of the front yard. Now the grass is making its comeback. The back yard is shaping up, too, with just our leaving it alone. So typically Pacific Northwest. The struggle here is getting things NOT to grow.

So, life is good. As they say in the Conehead movie, stability and contentment have been achieved. At least for the moment, and that's good enough for me.