Ziggy is going on vacation

TWO girls in heat at our house equals Ziggy going on vacation this week in sunny Jupiter, FL!  Actually the problem really is Spice since Groovy isn't allowed to interact with the other dogs but now that we know she is in heat too that makes me feel even better about my decision to send him south for the week.  He is only sort of interested in Spice but I'd like to leave it at that.  He's feeling some manly feelings this week as he's been a bit growly with Ruckus and with his brother Keep who came to visit who he hadn't seen since he was 13 weeks old.  The real reason he needs to go though is that I can just see Jack or I in an early morning stupor not remembering to keep the dogs separate and BOOM - babies!  Spice and Ziggy would make LOVELY performance pups unfortunately however they'd also likely make double merle pups and I'm just not capable of dealing with that outcome (double merle pups are very likely blind and/or deaf).

The good news is this is the girls last heat!  I was waiting to spay Groovy since some studies show that aggression can increase in spayed females but then I finally realized what does that matter since she's already relegated to living separate from the rest of the dogs anyway?  Spice... well at one point we thought might breed her but she has an intact sister who is awesome at herding, loves disc and is in a home with a breeder so will likely get bred so no need to miss out on stuff cause Spice is in heat (like today's UFO last chance qualifier)!  Though to her credit this is the first time she's caused us to miss something due to her heats and she was kind enough to wait until after USDDN finals.  So now I just have to figure out WHEN to get them spayed.  I have a month or so less than 6 months to figure out a plan for Spice and less than 10 months to figure out Groovy's!  Bottom line though is that Sunday PM through Friday is going to be torture for me!  Ziggy will have fun and this will be a good experience for him but I'm not sure I can go that long without some Ziggy love.  When he gets back Friday he is going straight to his Pennhip appointment at 3pm!  Fingers crossed for beautiful hips!  That reminds me I need to get Groovy's hips done when I get her spayed...

Skyhoundz Recap - finally!

In September we headed up to Chattanooga for Skyhoundz World Finals.  Spice was qualified in microdog and Jack and Jason were qualified in pairs with Kai.  We went up in time for the last chance qualifier in order to get an extra practice in for Spice and to play Tali in the Masters freestyle (that's like veterans agility for those who don't do disc).

We drove up on Thursday getting into Chattanooga early Thursday evening.  For the first time we rented a house vs. staying at the La Quinta.  It was a duplex and the other side of it was being rented by fellow disc doggers.  It turned out to be a really nice place and a good deal.  Our side was 2 bedroom 1 bath and we split it with the Riglers.  We had 4 people and 8 dogs and it worked out just fine.  There was a small fenced in yard and all the basic amenities you could need.  For $149 a night split 2 ways it really couldn't be beat!

Friday was the LCQ and we got up early and headed over to Camp Jordan to set up.  The highlight of my day was getting to see Ziggy's litter-mate Charlotte and her mom Cor Brewer.  I hadn't seen Charlotte since we were in Texas getting Ziggy.  She's a great little dog.  Not as outgoing as Ziggy but she wasn't as a puppy either but so very devoted to her mom and already showing a ton of interest in the disc.  Cor is a lucky gal!

It was a fun day overall.  Spice did pretty good in her round of FS.  Tali did very well and ended up placing 1st in Master Freestyle!  Gooo Tali!  :)  Ziggy had a fun day meeting all kinds of people and dogs.  His highlight was getting to chase Charlotte around the soccer fields mid day!  :)

Friday night we were invited over to our friends cabin for dinner.  We had a great time hanging out with the Heygis, Susan Markham, the Williams, Rick R., Angela, the Hoots, Mike Dillon and more.  The food was awesome!!  The cabin was cool too - we might have to look at renting a cabin next year!

Saturday was a relaxing day for Jack and I since his big stuff was on Sunday.  We had a great time socializing with friends, rooting for J and Dre to do their best and congratulating Pennie Mahon on her World Championship!  The banquet was lovely as usual.  The folks at Skyhoundz really do a great job of making the event feel first class.  We haven't missed a Skyhoundz Worlds since the first year we qualified (2006) and we hope to not ever miss one.  It is well worth the trip!  They really make the competitors feel special.

Sunday was the "big" day for us.  For some reason Spice was up first which rattled me more than it rattled Jack.  It sucks being first at a World Finals because everyone is still settling in and unpacking, etc.  None of the spectators are there yet, etc.  Spice and Jack did pretty well but I can't help but feel that she would have done better with more energy and excitement in the air.  I think they were in 8th after round 1.  Then came D&A and typically Spice can get 12-14 points on just a decent round.  Unfortunately the round did not go well and she only got 10.5.  I thought for sure we were done after that and was pretty bummed.  We weren't even really paying attention to the other microdog D&A rounds and so were shocked when the results after round 2 came out and she was tied for 3rd with several other dogs (I think there were a total of 6 or 7 dogs in the top 3 spots).

Meanwhile Jack had to focus on pairs as well.  He and Jason decided to go with the Party Rock song and costumes again this year and it was a hit with the crowd.  Several folks came up to us and said they thought for sure that their round 1 was a top 5 finish but alas... the judges did not agree.  Rd 2 was better according to the judges but only by 1/2 a point.  Now granted... Kai's catch ratio was only a 6 and a 6.5 so it's not like they expected to win but finishing 3rd from last and below dogs with lower catch ratios was disappointing.  It's pretty clear the judges don't "get" the guys routine.  It's not at all "lets lay on top of each other and throw a disc together" like most pairs routines so that's likely why.  Not sure if they'll adjust to meet the judges expectations or keep doing what they are doing (controlled chaos that covers the entire field) in hopes of altering the judges view of what pairs can be.  Time will tell!

So back to Spice and microdog... her final round was nearing.  I was a nervous wreck but I hid it from Jack.  I kept my mouth shut and just kept breathing in my Peace and Calm essential oil.  He decided to go out with more energy but a safer game and see what would happen.  They did really well in round 2 but we didn't think it was well enough to snag 3rd place from all the other dogs vying for it.  When we were packing up though I wouldn't let Jack put Spice in the car *just in case*!  He wouldn't bring her out on the field though because he really didn't think they had gotten it and I agreed.  Well turns out he needed her out on the field!  We were shocked but thrilled when they called her name.  I took pics of Jack taking the stand (in between my tears) while Andrea ran and got Spice from her crate.  It was awesome and I think Jack is most proud that it was on the merits of his freestyle that he snagged the spot.  Their rd 2 score was 3.5 points higher than round 1.  The video is on the last blog post.  Still so much room for improvement in their game but we'll take the placement!  Hopefully in a year or two Spice can find herself qualified for both Saturday and Sunday and with a little luck find herself on both podiums!  It's been done before by Al and George... maybe Spice and Jack can do it too!

It was an awesome weekend and we can't wait to do it again next year!  In the mean time Jack and Spice are getting ready for USDDN finals... and actually Spice and I are as well since I'm qualified with her in D&A!  :)

Jack, Jason and Kai Party Rockin' in Pairs

Jack and Spice - 3rd place micrdog

Future Skyhoundz Qualifiers!  :)

Skyhoundz Worlds - 3rd place!

A more detailed post to come but the short version is Spice and Jack placed 3rd in Skyhoundz Microdog Worlds!!  :)

Here is the video to hold you over till I can work on a more detailed recap of the awesome time we had in Chattanooga... Jack and Spice have so much more work to do as a team but they aren't doing too bad for a 2 year old dog and 3/4's of a routine!

Ziggy, Spice and Tali

Ziggy... he's awesome.  Honestly I just love him.  His disc drive has increased and he continues to be a social butterfly.  Last night at Canis Major he didn't meet a stranger... he played with kids... he greeted other dogs nicely... he played a little bit of disc with me on the main field after the competition was over.  He is just superb!  He's already attempting to put flash and flare into his disc catching attempts.  I've seen him flip a few times.  It's kinda crazy and additionally it means I have to be really careful with any disc work we do cause he isn't old enough to be leaping and twisting like that!  Makes me pretty giddy about his future though!

Spice... what an interesting dog.  So full of herself and so sure she knows what is right.  We went to a UFO major and AWI qualifier in Naperville, IL a couple of weekends ago.  She was a hot mess.  Blowing off short tosses but looking like a rock star on her vaults and long tosses.  She also sucks at bringing the disc all the way back to the line in toss n fetch.  LOTS to work on but SOMEDAY when she decides to cooperate with our rules of the game and not her own she'll be awesome.  With all that negativity said she actually is scoring pretty decently in freestyle much to our surprise.  What a difference a flashy driven dog can make I guess (as compared to Tali).  We made the trip up to earn some UFO points since UFO finals will be in Florida and Jack missed our UFO major down here.  She earned 20 points so not what we were hoping for.  We have a local in a few weeks so hopefully she'll earn 10-20 more and then the rest they'll have to try for at the last chance qualifier.  She did better at the AWI competition the next day placing 9th overall and was 1 spot away from qualifying.  That worked out quite well actually because we couldn't have made the trip to Missouri anyway and we were worried about taking a spot from someone else that we knew we couldn't use but not worried enough to not play - she needs the experience because we leave on Thursday for Chattanooga and Skyhoundz Worlds where she is qualified in microdog freestyle!  Hopefully she and Jack will pull it together enough to do well in that competition but we shall see... they are still so new and green as a team (partially because she likes to play by her own rules and not his)!

Tali... or Fat Tali as we now call her.  Oops... she's gained weight and we didn't realize it so now she's on a diet!  Jam too for that matter... stupid rain and mud has been preventing exercise for the dogs.  Jack played Tali in SuperOpen freestyle in Canis Major last night.  It's her first time competing in freestyle since... well I think since USDDN Sun N Fun this spring which was right after she got sick.  She's mostly retired but he wanted to play her in Canis Major one more season.  She did well in freestyle but sucked in toss n fetch and ended up finishing 6th or 7th and thus got no canis major points.  It was pretty surprising that Spice finished 2nd in Canis Major in superopen freestyle but we'll take it!  :)  Tali did good for me in round 1 of D&A but sucked in round 2.  Makes sense considering her weight gain and being out of shape.  She has over a month till her next competition so the weight should be gone by then.  Jack is entering her in the Masters freestyle division at the Skyhoundz last chance qualifier.  She just turned 9 a few weeks ago.  Should be fun!

Ziggy loves frisbee!

Since our trip to Naperville Ziggy's interest in disc has gone way up!  He's so fun - LOVE him!

Beach in Hawaii

OK so it wasn't a beach in Hawaii - it was a beach in St Petersburg, FL!  Last weekend was our disc dog club's annual beach day at Ft Desoto park.  We had a good turn out and it was a fun time.  Ziggy really had fun swimming and running with the other dogs.  Jam came along and went in the ocean voluntarily!  I guess her time swimming after ducks in Christopher Steele's pond taught her that swimming isn't so bad after all!  Ziggy did awesome and finally got to meet some of the disc dog group other than Jason and Andrea.  My favorite part was watching him try to help various kids build sand castles!

Monday night was puppy class.  Ziggy did great!  It didn't rain so we got to be outside.  It started off with off leash play and he did well.  No issues at all.  His brothers did well too!  He did great in class too though he was making out with a border collie at one point!  :)

This week our training focus has been on stay and on retrieves.  I hadn't played any disc games with him in about a week and he was kind of sucking when I tried on Wed. night.  I figured it out though... he's teething! Duh!  When I switched to a soft disc and to soft squeaky balls he was all over it.  Poor little guy - the squeaky balls came away with blood on them and he's really starting to chew this week more than he has and thus finding inappropriate items that never interested him previously!  Going at lunch today to get him one of those chilly bones!

Also new this week is some alarm barking!  It was bound to happen - especially with my noisy pack.  He started at the beach when all the other dogs went on alert as crazy Haze approached the picnic bench.  I told Colleen that she should feel proud that her dog was the cause of my dog's first alarm barking!  Anyone who knows Haze is not surprised by this I'm sure!  Then on Sunday he saw Andrea out on the deck through our bedroom window and alerted.  I was able to get him out there pretty quick to see it was her and he was all wiggles.  Last night he heard something in the woods that scared him and he stopped mid poop and came flying up on to the deck with me.  It was kinda of funny but definitely tells me we are in a bit of a stage at the moment!  No biggie - he'll work through it I'm sure.  I love that he comes to me for reassurance though!  :)

Last but not least... I snapped this pic this AM.  Ruckus is definitely mellowing in his old age!  This would have NEVER happened with previous puppies, especially a male puppy!  Granted the two of them did get into it earlier this week and I have no idea over what - I suspect Ziggy got too into Ruckus' business but they've been doing really well since then (with a lot of vigilant watching from me).  It's just so heart warming to see them get along.

Comings and goings

Ziggy, Jack and I headed down to Bayfront Park in Sarasota this past Saturday to meet up with our friends Liz, Maggie and Heidi and Ziggy's brothers Peak and Graehm.  What a really nice park.  Lots of people, dogs, nice views, etc.  It was a great experience for the dogs.  We walked around a bit, let the boys play at the beach, had dinner at the tiki bar/restaurant and then took a short drive to St. Armands Circle for some icecream.  The boys did great - especially at the over crowded St. Armands Circle!  Ziggy gets in trouble with the other puppy owners cause 1) he attracts the most attention due to his coloring and 2) he's the most outgoing so thus keeps the attention.  Ziggy apologizes in advance for his handsomeness and outgoing nature!  I suspect we won't be invited along for every future outing!  LOL

Ziggy, Graehm and Peak at the beach in Sarasota

Sunday my sister's family came over to meet Ziggy.  This is only the 2nd time he's met people AT my house (other than my parents).  He did awesome.  Ran right up to them and snuggled up to them.  My brother in law is a big guy so this was extra cool.  My nephews are in their early 20's.  On another good note Spice who is often standoffish in the house with strangers warmed up to them all quite quickly and was vying with Ziggy for attention from them.  This is the 2nd time I've seen this happen (her vying for attention) and I think it's safe to say that maybe Ziggy is a good influence on Spice!

Speaking of Spice she got her first agility title in the mail the other day!  Not a big deal really because it was CPE level 1 and that is a SUPER easy title to get BUT it was still her first so we had to take a picture!

Sunday night I took Ziggy over to my mom's to meet my brother and his kids.  This is the 2nd time Ziggy has met someone new at my mom's house.  Both times he's been a bit standoffish which is very unlike him.  Normally he treats all strangers as his best friend.  This doesn't freak me out or worry me but I do find it odd and I'm definitely curious as to why that is.  In the end he was OK with my brother and his kids (ages 8 and 10) and as seen below was taking treats from them and gave Nathaniel (10) some lovin'  before we left.  Just an odd observation is all.  

I can't recall if I've mentioned our visitor that we have for 3 weeks.  We are dog sitting my friend Allison's dog Kicker.  Spice does NOT like her but seems to be coming around.  Ziggy LOVES her but Kick isn't too sure she wants to spend a lot of time with a 4 month old puppy!  She's starting to like Ziggy more though.  Jack said they were playing together last night while Spice and I were at agility class.  They make a cute almost matching set!

And last but not least Ziggy had his first puppy class this week!  It's a puppy class/puppy agility foundation class rolled into one.  His brothers Moses and Peak are in it too.  This week it was raining and our instructor Bonnie decided to have class anyway but to have it inside.  It was quite chaotic at first and fitting 8 pups and their owners in Bonnie's living room was quite the squeeze.  I was very pleased with how Ziggy handled it.  He was SUPER focused on me.  He was friendly with the other puppies too though he did have a little melt down and go off on Peak at the end of class when Peak climbed on his back while Ziggy was getting treats from me.  Kind of upsetting but really he spent an hour getting treats from me while he had a dog on each side within 1-2 feet getting treats from their owners and was fine.  One was Peak - the other was a new aussie pup he hadn't met before.  His focus only got better as class went on so I suspect his puppy brain was fried and considering I know he has a tendency to resource guard good stuff he did pretty darn good.  I'm looking forward to next class where we'll be outside and the pups will get to play with one another and then have more space when the "work" begins.

Till next time!