Woofstock 2014

Last weekend I went to Woofstock. It is the second dog expo I have gone to this year and it is the second expo I have been to in my life.I enjoyed Woofstock much more than the previous show I went to, mostly because you were allowed to bring your own dog with you and, if you know me at all you will know there is nothing I love more than showing off and talking about my dog. I wasn't too impressed with the shows they offered but I am sure many other people loved them. I was looking forward to watching the "Stupid Dog Trick Show" unfortunately the dogs would not perform the very difficult tricks and all the other tricks they showed were ones my dog could do. I also work with a girl who's dogs are trick champions so I see a lot of impressive tricks on a regular basis. (now in 2016 my dog holds a Trick Champion title as well, oh how times have changed) I did like tight rope walking trick though.

 I did really enjoy the agility trials because it was different from the super dog shows I am used to seeing. It was 100% agility and the runs were timed and judged professionally. Now that I do agility with my dog I am much more interested in the handling and judging of a sport rather than the entertainment of a show. It is so encouraging to see some of the people trialing facing the same problems I face on the pitch. When the agility trials had finished you could sign up to try running on their beginners agility course. I was very excited about that because I wanted to see if Khazi would perform outside of familiar territory. Everything on the pitch was tiny which Khazi did not like, I swear I could hear her thinking "what is this, an agility course for ants?!?" she also did not understand why I wouldn't allow her to run the entire course all in one go and why she had to wear her leash. It was quite fun and a great photo op.

   

 

   

 After watching the two shows I was very disappointed because I had visited all the tents (all five of them) and that seemed to be it. Thank goodness we were mistaken and we were directed to follow a path for about four minutes to take us to the largest section of Woofstock. There were TONS of tents at the end of the path as well as a giant stage on which they were filming dog fashion show and breed shows for CTV. The tents were all vendors selling dog gear, food and accessories. The best part was all the free samples. We came home with three full bags of freebies, mostly food and treats. We also got a free paw print picture at a microchipping booth. They offered free dog photo shoots for anyone who wated to sign their dog up to me in the fido calendar and adds, I was going to sign up but the preson ahead of me in line took the last booking :(. Once you finished shopping you could go and eat at one of the food trucks. It was a fantastic experience but if you are thinking of attending next year here are some things to think about. Don't take your dog if it is aggressive/overly reactive, that seems pretty obvious but there were tons of aggressive/reactive dogs there. In fact one of the puppies that comes to the training facility I work in lost a big  chunk of it's ear while it was at Woofsock. An aggressive dog came up behind him and bit it right off. Bring water for both you and your dog, it is very hot and a lot of the dogs were over heating. It will also help to take a seat in the shade during the hot hours. Wear sun block, shade is few and far between. There are very few places to sit so, if you are expecting to stay all day bring some light weight folding chairs. GO EARLY, if you are driving it can be extremely difficult to find parking so head out as early as possible. 

 If you have a pug or dachshund you can enter them in races, they are free and fun and I think you can win prizes. If you are interested in entering the cute dog contest you need to sign up before you go. Many people wanted to enter their dogs but didn't realize they had to pre register.  

 The All About Pets Show and Woofstock are the two biggest expos in my area so I am going to give you a rundown of which show I enjoyed more.

Dogs- Winner: Woofstock - You can bring your dog with you to Woofstock

Freebies - Winner: Woofstock There were TONS of freebies at Woofstock almost all the vendors who sold treats or food offered either food packages or treat samples.

2017 UPDATE - The All Aboout Pets Show now allows you to bring your dog and the freebies have gotten better. I go to the AAPS every year and have not wanted to go back to Woofstock after my first visit

Spring has sprung 2014

Spring has sprung, and oh boy do I hate it. Winter was lovely, sure we had record snowfalls and deep freezes but I will take mass amounts of snow over mass amounts of mud any day. It also means it is time to whip my pup's matted coat back into shape. My dog LOVES the snow, there is no question that she is half Bernese Mountain Dog. You don't even have to do anything with her at all for her to be having the best time of her life. I just love the way she prances through the snow with a look of pure bliss. It is all well and good for her in the  winter but it kills me when spring comes around. I have probably said this a million times before (and I probably will again), but Bernedoodles have been dubbed the title "groomer's worst nightmare". I agree with that statement one hundred percent. They mat very easily and that is not a good trait even before adding snow, rain, and mud to the mix. I am going to be totally upfront about this situation, her current state of matting is all my fault. I normally groom Khazi at least 2 hours every single day and she needs it so badly. Missing a day can add extra hours of work to your next grooming session which isn't fun for the dog. I had to go away for work for three months and in that time Khazi became a giant walking matt. Okay that is exaggerating it because I see the rescue dogs makeovers a lot and she is not that bad but it is the worst I have ever seen her other than the matted state she was in when we got her. I did have family members at home who were willing to do some of the grooming unfortunately all they really knew how to do was a brush out. That was extremely kind of them for trying to help but I do see areas that were simply hacked off rather than being combed and dematted properly. I am finally home now and I am dedicating a lot of time to grooming her. He mats are bad but I am extremely dedicated to the subject, I made sure I read/bought every grooming book, blog, and articles aswell as all the youtube videos I could find. I am of course by no means a professional groomer, but I feel my research has given me all the answers I need to do all my dog grooming from home. We took her to pet value once for a sanitary shave and nail clipping and vowed never to go back for those services.

I think home grooming is great, it builds such a great bond and even if you have a dog that hates to be touched in anyway (like Khazi when we first got her) you can get to know your dog and train them to love grooming. Khazi still doesn't totally love grooming but she will always runs back to me after we have finished an area that was causing her grief and gives me tons of kisses. That being said, I have never in my life hurt my dog while grooming. Normally I pick one section of the body I want to work on first, then make my way around going from area to area. I completely believe that you should be working as a team as well as being able to read your dog's body language. I have taught my dog that if she doesn't want me working on a sensitive area any more she can chew on the matted area she wants my to work on next. I just simply say "show me" and she communicates exactly where this issue is.

Back dated posts

Back in 2014 and 2015 I wrote a large number of posts about Khazi, groming, training, my work and daily life with my pup. Unfortunately life got in the way (work, health problems, and a new relationship which eventually ended in marriage - yay!!) so they never got published. Over the next while I am going to work on actually publishing those back dated posts as well as working on new posts about the updates in my life (spoiler alert there is a new dog in the family!). So if you are reading along, you know if anyone actually does read these the posts may switch back and forth from back dated ones to new ones. I will make sure to add the date to the back dated posts to keep it clear. So keep checking back because there are many more posts to come :)

From Unpaid Apprentice to Head Sport Trainer

In 2014 I began training as an apprentice at a dog training facility. I started out as a gopher, mostly observing the teaching process and dealing with facility clean up. The next step up was becoming a Teacher's Assistant which meant I was now allowed to assist during classes and talk to students about any issues they might be having (although I still always checked in with my mentor before giving said advice). The TA position came to me simply because the regular assistant went on vacation and asked me to cover her shifts. During this time I developed a deep bond with my mentor and when it came time for the other assistant to come back to her job she was no longer needed. I believe the biggest underlying factor of this slight promotion can be attributed to the fact that the facility owners knew keeping me on as an unpaid apprentice would profit them more than paying for a salaried employee to work the shifts. I learned as much as I could from my mentor and she was more than willing to help me become better at what I do. She challenged me every day and I continuously proved to her I was up to the challenge. I got many more responsibilities because she trusted me to do as I was taught and she never second guessed me. At the beginning of every set of classes she would introduce me as her assistant and told the class that if they needed any help they could ask me as I was more than capable of answering any questions they might have. This was the biggest compliment I could have received and I made sure I knew every detail about everything we taught so if any questions were asked of me I could give a proper, knowledgeable and professional answer. I was a TA for close to two years before I was promoted to Co-Instructor. My Mentor decided it was time for her to move on with her career and leave our facility and she started this transition by dropping the Tuesday agility classes and only working one more batch of Sunday classes. When the Tuesday shift needed filling I was originally still a TA but as time went on my partner (who was the TA I took over from two years prior) realized I now had more experience and knowledge on the subject than she did so I was given the position of Co-Instructor. Once it came time for my mentor to leave for good she did the kindest most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me by telling the facility owners that I was most qualified and skilled to take over when she left. Because of this I was not only given the position of lead agility instructor but also the position as Head trainer of all dog sports . This was a huge step up for me and this position meant I would finally be paid for my work and I got my very own apprentice to train. I have had the position for about a year and a half now and I couldn't be happier. I have been allowed to change the course outlines and brought them up to a new standard, to the point that we are now getting clients from other training facilities leaving reviews saying our program is far better than all others that they have tried. I am not one to feel confident and proud of myself but I am extremely proud of my accomplishments at work and I finally have something that I know I am good at doing. Agility was my first passion and what got me started but I knew I wanted to expand my horizons and become even more qualified so I got my CTDI (certified Trick Dog Instructor) certification and worked with my dog to earn her TDCH (Trick Dog Champion) title. This gave me the experience needed to be able to teach tricks. I may already have my dream job but I will never stop trying to better myself in my career, next on the horizon is to start teaching even more dog sports. I will become a Certified Trick Dog Judge qualified to judge competitions at Tridex 2018 in the next few months as well as learning how to properly teach disc, competition obedience and flyball classes. It has been a bit of a crazy whirl wind or hard work but I am so happy with how my life is turning out. So if you would like to become a dog trainer, follow your passion and never give up, even if you need to volunteer for a while to get there, do it and make it happen.

My Apprenticeship Experience (written in 2014)

This is a post I wrote back in 2014 but never ended up actually uploading. I read it for the first time since then  just today and I thought I would post it anyway because it is useful information. The thing is, my apprenticeship has been over for quite some time now and I currently hold the position of Head Dog Sport Instructor at my facility. So read this through if you are interested in an apprenticeship then when you are done take a look at the next post that I plan to write to get a feel of what has changed since obtaining the career I was working towards.

Seven weeks ago I began a dog training apprenticeship at the facility where I took Khazi for training. I thought I would share some of my experiences for those of you are interested in going down that career path so you can get an idea of what's to be expected. All apprenticeships are different, for example many facilities will have you start as the mop person, in charge of dealing with all the doggie bodily fluids but others may get you working right away. There is no real standard for how you are taught and what you are taught, it is all up to the individual trainer or facility. I was lucky enough to work with a trainer who is all about teaching me how to instruct classes. Not every one will be so lucky but if you want to succeed and make the most of your apprenticeship you have to be ready to take anything they may throw at you. I actually advanced much sooner than most apprentice trainers would out of pure necessity. The facility in which I work always has at least two trainers teaching per class, one trainer who is extremely experienced in the specific field and another trainer who has general knowledge in a variety of areas. The second trainer is technically the trainer's assistant but they still teach a lot of the class as it is usually split into two groups. The trainer's assistant (TA) is also in charge of all the agility equipment and care of the facility. The TA that I usually work with was going on vacation and needed me to cover her shifts for five class days. It was actually really great because instead of standing around watching the teaching process and acting as a gopher the TA stepped aside for me to take the lead while she critiqued my performance to be sure I was capable of teaching on my own when the time came. It was an amazing experience and really helpful. I am not the most confident person but because of the training I received I am very confident in my performance as a TA.

My tips for making the most of an apprenticeship

1. Ask a million questions. It is better to ask now than to not know the answer when you need it.
2. Work your ass off. Excuse my language but it is true. The reason I was given more responsibility than the other apprentice is because I am never standing around waiting for direction, I am always doing something and trying to figure out what needs to be done before I am asked to do it.
3. Be confident and let your personality show and have fun with it. Clients can tell when you are nervous and unsure and they don't have as an enjoyable experience. You may also seem stand offish and angry so leave your insecurities at the door.
4. Be encouraging. Working with dogs can get frustrating and you need to be prepared to tell people about personal set backs and problems you may have encountered. This is the one area where I feel my trainer could have a slightly different approach. She is amazing and really shows people how to have fun and she tells owners when their dogs get the sillies not to worry because agility requires a certain level of excitement and it is normal for a dog to act up. This is true, she is not wrong in any way but sometimes people need to hear that their dog isn't the only one who may be struggling. This is where having a nut of a dog comes in handy. At the end of agility level 1 the students have their first timed run and there is always at least one dog who runs around the course with no intention of returning to their owners. These people are always discouraged and it was fairly obvious that a few of the owners in the class were so frustrated they wanted to cry. This is where I tell them not to worry because their dog still had a better run than my dog's first run. Khazi's first run may or may not have taken over 5 mins to complete while the rest of the class took about a 30 seconds. It was a proud day... not.
5. Do what you can to be knowledgeable on any subject that may arise. I have a mass of dog books that I read on a daily basis to ensure I will be able to help when owners ask my advice. I also make sure to read up on every breed of dog that enrolls in the class so I have an idea of how that dog will learn best (obviously not all dogs fit their breed description but I find it helpful to know what I could be dealing with).

Here is an example situation that arose at class today. The one class I have been teaching is filled with reactive (like aggression but not quite) dogs, why the owner of the facility thought it would be good to put them all together is beyond me but anyhow that is what we had to work with. The owner with the biggest problem dog (a Australian cattle dog) in the class (he was an aggressive puppy and it was made worse because of inconsistent handling) came up to me and asked what he should do to be able to control his dog better as it was becoming a serious problem and is disrupting the class. I suggested he exercise the dog before coming to agility but I told him to follow up with the head trainer as she knows better. When I asked her about it later she said she told him to find a job for his dog to do, he is pent up with energy and has no place to expel it other than towards other dogs. She said because he is a breed that needs an extremely high activity level he physically cannot control himself. I have a feeling that the owners won't put the effort into working their dog hard so I am going to give them some at home mental exercises. It won't solve the problem because he needs both the physical and mental stimulation but it may help a little.

Those are my tips for now I hope they help you :)

May 2014 Bark Box Review

May 2014 Bark Box Review

Bark Box Rating: 4/5

Approximate Box Value:$63.21

I am sorry this post is so late, but this month the box came in a week later than usual . It is the first time I have had issues with the shipping and I think it is due to the May 24 holiday weekend. I was disappointed that this month`s box only had four items but they were good quality items that I am happy to have. You will notice the box's rating is 4/5 this month, that is due to the shipping issues and number of items in the box, if my rating was based on item quality alone it would get 5/5 rating.

This month`s message
Fetched fresh from the farm: playing with your food is A-OK!
The arrival of warm weather means sunshine, picnics, and an abundance of produce. One of our favouite places to stroll with our pups is the local farmer`s market, where fruit, vegetables, meat and freshly baked bread are aplenty - and let`s just say our pup are equally interested in edible wares as we are!
This month`s BarkBox celebrates healthy (but still delicious!) eating, inspired by the finds from our favourite greenmarkets; we kept a particular eye out for organic, GMO-free ingredients and paired them with eco-friendly toys that can be enjoyed outdoors!
So let your pup pawpick from our garden of goodies and pardon the vegetable puns... we know they`re a bit corny! Enjoy your BarkBox, we`ll see you next month!
Team BarkBox

Loopies Rozcoe the Corduroy Kitty: The second I opend the box Khazi grabbed the stuffed toy and ran off.  She is in love with it and has started taking it to bed with her. She has a select few toys that earn that honour so the Stuffed Kitty gets a top rating in my book and Khazi`s. The card says ``Rozcoe the corduroy kitty is squeaky, deceptively sturdy, and perfect for rough n`tumbling with your pup. But get this: BarkBox test pups were just as likely to wrestle with them as they were to use them during snuggle time and nap time!`` This toy costs a whopping $31.23 USD plus shipping on Amazon.com, I`m sorry but who would pay that for a simple squeaky plush toy?!

 JW Pet Megalast Ball: The other toy in the box was a large JW Pet Megalast Ball. The ball is made from  non-toxic super tough Megalastomer I have not tried our ball yet but I do have experience with them as they are the fetch balls used at the training facility I work at. I really like the balls and so do the dogs. I played with a few of these balls on Tuesday and the dogs chew them up like crazy, while the balls do show wear and tear they look great for the amount of abuse they take. They are easy for the dogs to pick up and catch because of the hole and rivets. They have a fantastic bounce and it does not take much effort to lob. Khazi is not too much of a ball dog but she does have some ball drive from our fly ball training days. I am excited to see how she likes it. When we do use it I will add an update here. The card says `` Made in the USA in an eco-friendly facility that utilizes solar power, the Megalast Ball from JW Pet is inspired by spring shapes and colours! Durable for chewers, made with recyclable materials, and extra bouncy for long-lasting fun.`` These balls cost $11.99 on Amazon.ca

Update: I got try the ball with Khazi today and she really liked it. It was not an obsession or anything but she had fun and then I lost it. I am not sure where it bounced to but it is somewhere in my basement, she was upset that she couldn't find it so that shows she was enjoying her playtime.

Snicky Snaks Apple Cobbler Treats:
The box also came with two types of treats. The first type were Apple cobbler cookie treats. Khazi is strange about harder cookie treats, she either can stand them or would do anything for them. Thankfully Khazi seems to really like them, in fact she `Said her Prayers` for the first time in order to get one. The card says `Made in the USA with 100% organic, GMO-free ingredients like molasses, eggs, cinnamon, and apples, and with minial carbon footprint. Snicky Snaks are good for your pup... and the planet! I couldn`t find the price of these treats listed any where but I have heard the average price is about $10

Nootie No Grainers BBQ Chicken Jerky Chews: These are a nice soft chew and they smell great. These treats would be perfect for training, stuffing in a treat filled tug, or just giving as a loving gesture. Khazi responds very well to these treats and will work hard to get one. I like to break them up and use them for agility training they are a very high reward treat. The only problem with these treats is that they contain chicken liver, something Khazi is sensitive to so I can`t give her many in a day. The card says `Jerky has always been a favourite of humans on the go - we think pups will appreciate a portable snack too! Nootie`s BBQ chicken jerky is made in the USA and can be broken into bite-sized bits - plus, we think the smoky barbecue scent is reminiscent of outdoor markets! They cost $9.99 on Amazon.ca

Update: Today I discovered that you can fill out a survey and let the people at BarkBox know how you felt about the monthly items and make suggestions about future box items.

Home Agility Course: Tunnels

Home Agility Course: Tunnels

I feel like I have been such a slacker lately, not keeping up with my posts but I have been so busy working my blog has taken a back seat. Today's post will be the first of a series on creating your own agility course. I am not sure if I have mentioned it before but a few months ago I started my dog trainer's apprenticeship teaching agility.I took agility classes before I started teaching them so I have been doing agility with my dog for about nine months now. Khazi isn't exactly an agility super star but I love running with her and I feel with a bit more practice she would do much better. I have been wanting a home agility course for quite a while now and three days ago I took the first step and bought her two regulation standard tunnels. Tunnels are the one piece of equipment I was not going to make at home because while I had a plan, it was extremely complicated and probably wouldn't have worked anyway. You can find tunnels online that aren't too expensive but they are not standard size and my dog would never fit in them. If you have a smallish dog and you don't care too much about meeting standards you can use a children's play tunnel or cut the bottom out of a collapsible laundry basket. As this wasn't an option for me I started looking online for actual tunnels, unfortunately the best price I could find was about $300 plus a substantial shipping fee for a 10ft. tunnel. That was way too expensive for me so I talked to the head agility trainer and she told me about a place in Milton called Bauhound Haus Inc. A few days ago mom and I decided to go on an adventure and take the long drive up to Milton. Bauhound Haus was a cute little store on Main Street. At first we were worried there would be no parking because it is on such a busy road but we found there was ample parking behind the store you just had to loop around. The store is a lot like most specialty pet stores, there were a lot of toys, training equipment, and various accessories. I was happy to find doggie dumbbells there as well as I am trying to work on Khazi's mouthing tricks. I had to ask about the tunnels because they are kept in the basement. I should have called ahead because there were only two tunnels left and they were both the same colour. I had gotten in touch with the owner through their Facebook page and he said there were many colours available, unfortunately, they take the tunnels to shows so they were not in the store. If you decided to go definitely call first. My trainer suggested that I get tunnels different colours because if I ever compete in the future, my dog would be more likely to accept equipment that is different than what she is used to. The training facility I work  at uses green, red and yellow tunnels so I wanted any other colour. I got two royal blue tunnels with yellow coiling. I really wanted a blue and a different colour but hey, at least she has never used a blue one before.


The tunnels I got were 10ft. long with a six inch pitch (the spacing between the coils) I don't know how wide the opening is but it is standard size. They cost about $150 each and I was very happy with that price, it is the cheapest I have seen them. If you are interested in buying agility equipment I highly recommend their tunnels. I would like to point out that the tunnels do not include any weights so you will have to buy sandbags or make them yourself like I will be doing.

Khazi seems to really like having the agility equipment at home and she seems more interested in doing work here than she does at the facility. She didn't have any problem switching to blue tunnels but just to be sure she wouldn't have issues, I introduced it to her the same way I did the first time she used a tunnel, only much faster. She really didn't mind the new colour, she had more issues the first time she went through the green tunnel at class. Here she is, pooped after our agility training session.

 As for the rest of my course, it is all going to be homemade. I found basic instructions online and I will be adapting them to meet the AAC regulations. I would love to say I will be posting a tutorial every week but I don't think my course will get built that quickly. I need help with this project so I will have to make it work with my parents schedule as well and they are busy renovating the basement, all by hand. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, my course will include one or more of the following: single jump, high jump, broad jump, chute, A frame, teeter totter, dog walk, pause table, tire jump, weave poles and of course my tunnels plus the sandbags I have to make. If and when that all gets done I will be including my training schedule, various handling exercises and some course layouts for both games and more standard runs.

XOXO J and Khazi