Agility adventures

Wow, has it been 3 weeks since I posted? Way to catch up hehe :)

I've been meaning to write a bit about Philip's Agility training and progress for a while now, so it seems like a perfect topic to start with!

We started training in February and it's been absolutely fabulous. At first we attended a 5-week beginner Agility class not far from home, with the same trainer that we did Obedience with before. This class was meant mostly just for the fun of it - something different to do with your dog, so it was a perfect place to start. Philip wasn't too sure about it the first couple of classes, but then just just picked up on it and was absolutely loving it! We did different regular and panel jumps, tire jumps, open tunnel, teeter-totter, A-frame, dog walk, pause table, and weave poles. Philip was especially in love with the tunnel once he understood that he needs to run through it, and also the A-frame, he just has a blast running up and down the thing :) By the end of the classes he could do all of those obstacle, though had some trouble with the weaves and didn't always want to get up on the teeter.



Seeing how good he was at it, how fast he was learning, and how much fun he was having, I decided that I will let him have a go at a competition later this year, and we are still planning on it. Of course before he can do competition he needed more practice, as well as a more serious competition-focused class.

Our trainer recommended another lady a bit further from home who teaches competitive Agility classes, but while I was puttering around trying to get signed up for her class, I went ahead and built a couple of jumps and a set of 6 weave poles from PVC piping and set it up in my garage. It's been really helpful having something to practice with at home, and especially great at teaching Philip weaves better. He actually looks forward to our trip to the garage because he knows he'll get to do some fun things and get lots of yummy treats :)

3 weeks ago we finally signed up and had our first competitive class. This class is very different from what we had in the previous one. There is no playing allowed, there are strict rules, and each dog gets to do slightly different things in order to stay challenged. For example, when we do the jumps, a less experienced dog will be asked to just go a single jump and come back over it, next level would be doing 2, 3, or 4 jumps in a row, and for even more challenge the jumps will be set up so that it's not straight forward which one should be jumped when - this takes a lot of attention to detail from the handler. Another cool thing is that we get to mix up equipment, so when doing the tunnel or the shoot, first the dog get to go through the tunnel alone, then so a jump into a tunnel and/or right out of the tunnel.

I was a little hesitant about the seriousness of the class at first, but even after only 3 sessions it's growing on me and I can totally see the benefits of this kind of training. After all, a competition venue is not a playground, but a serious place with lots of thought and work put into it on the part of both - the dog and the owner.

Catching Up

A lot has happened over the past 6 months! Philip had his first "sleepover" while I went on a quick family vacation during Thanksgiving. He then joined us on our next vacation during the holidays and met snow for the first time. We started Agility training earlier this year, and Philip has been doing great - we are going to continue training and hopefully try a competition sometime in Fall of this year. We've been going to the beach more - Philip used to be scared of the waves, but he is getting braver every time. We've also been to quite a few Corgi meetups, and a couple of doggie events in the area. Philip celebrated his first Birthday in March, and had a Corgi friend stay over for a few days while her dad traveled up north! Plus lots of other day-to-day happenings. Whew, lots I could talk about! I'll elaborate on these events over the next few weeks. Feel free to comment if you'd like to hear about a particular story sooner :)

Eight

We are back! At least for the time being :)

JuLo at Corgi Tails has tagged us to do the 8 things list, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to post some fresh information, and hopefully follow up with some Philip updates soon after.

8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1. Going to monthly Corgi meetups
2. Seeing Philip everyday when I come home from work
3. Traveling somewhere this summer
4. Taking Philip to his fist Agility competition later in the year
5. Going surfing once the ocean warms up a little more
6. Going to the horse races in the summer
7. Watching Nine and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs when they hit the theaters
8. Going to a friends' wedding at the end of May


8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Worked as usual
2. Had a yummy burger for lunch
3. Walked down to the fields with Philip and threw a tennis ball for him
4. Ate some dumplings
5. Practiced Weave Poles with Philip
6. Watched a couple episodes of Venture Brothers
7. Played a quick game of StarCraft
8. Stayed up later than I should have


8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. Draw better
2. Sing
3. Own a horse or two
4. Cook better and more often
5. Travel to every country in the world
6. Own an Aston Martin and/or a Lamborghini
7. Work for Pixar
8. Become a dog trainer


8 Shows I Enjoy (I don't currently have cable, but I used to watch these)
1. House M.D.
2. Friends
3. The Simpsons
4. Futurama
5. Firefly
6. Trading Spaces
7. It's Me Or The Dog
8. Seinfeld


8 Fur People I tag (I don't read that many, so we'll have to stick to only 4, consider them double tagged!)
1. Three Woofs And A Woo
2. CorgiPants
3. The Dogfathers
4. Her Dog Has A Blog

Bye bye balls

Philip got neutered on Friday and is now recovering, which is going very well. He was a cryptorchid, i.e. both of his testicles didn't drop, so the vet had to find them wherever they were. Now he has a shaved belly and an incision on his abdomen, with 5 stitches. It looks so painful, but he's been taking it like a champ. He was back to his normal self by the following morning, and after a few tries (which were stopped by me), he seems to understand that he shouldn't lick the area, so he has been very good about that. He doesn't even have a cone to wear - yay! We go back in two weeks to have the stitches removed.

And now for a happier note. Being the silly Corgi that he is, Philip loves to roll around on his back making funny noises and sometimes licking the floor. It's kind of hard to explain on words, so I present you a video instead from when he did it as a puppy (I need to make a new one now that he's a bit older and does it even more hehe):

Ode to the Palm Tree

Philip loves toys, he especially loves leaves, sticks, and other fun things he can find outside, but sometimes these things just come crashing down when you least expect them to... literally...

Just a few days after Philip came to live with me, I was out in the yard with him, and all of a sudden I heard a sound of something hitting the ground followed by Philip's signature "I'm scared, but I will brave you anyway" bark.
I turn around and see that a dry palm tree leaf (branch?) has fallen to the ground just a couple of feet away from him, and he was going bonkers barking at the thing!

"How dare you crash into my yard!"


After assuring Philip that the leaf wasn't going to eat him, we made a toy out of it - I swung it in a circle and Philip happily trotted after it, trying to catch it. When he would catch it, he would plant himself right onto the leaf and I dragged him around on it like on a sled - we both had tons of fun!




And another video for a good measure!

Back to the beginning

Philip came to live with me when he was 16 weeks old


His ears had just come up (they are pretty big and were surely taking their time!), so he had some tape in his left ear to ensure it stood up


Look at that puppy face...


...and butt!

Meet Philip

Philip is a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He came to live with me in June of this year at the age of 4 months old. I searched long and hard for the perfect pup to bring home, and he has really proven himself to be just that!