Where I Lived

Mike of the Forest

Upper Boardwalk Ottawa Beach

Lake View

View from the Jetty

Mike Across America at Holland Pier

Walking Out on the Jetty

Ottawa Beach December 2012

Big Red

Mike Across America @Uncle Buck's

Samurai (finally) got his CPE Level 2 Title. Mike and I celebrated with a round of Christmas shopping at Bass Pro Shop and Mike-ing Across America.

Candlelight Dessert Event

Beautiful event. All the tables were decorated with church members fine china.

Mike Across America Papa's Trio @SpaghEddies

Our $46/Nite Dog Show Hotel Room Came with a Surprise

Made a not so usual choice this time and got a more than the usual basics.

Agility at Muscatine Livestock Center, Muscatine, IA

Samurai @LaQuinta

Papillons in Agriculture

Contrary to popular belief that Papillons were developed as the pampered dogs of idle aristocracy, there is growing evidence of their utility as farm dogs. Here, newly discovered photograph of a hard working Papillon driving a plow. Useful farm assistant, indeed!

Dog on a Hog @Iowa Machine Shed

I Love Papillon Ears

Mike Across America Brewster's Italian Cafe, New Buffalo, MI

Shaun at the Beach

Where's Shaun?

Mike at the cottage.

Mike Across America Lunch @Harbor View Grille

After the Trial: Must Get New Handler. Soon.

Mike Across America @Thunderbay Grille, Davenport, IA

Lunch @ Iowa Machine Shed, Davenport. IA

Taylor in car

Taylor and Samurai, Evening @The Lodge

Mike Across America: The Lodge, Davenport, IA

Raising Tents @ 4th of July Celebration @Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire, WI

Carousel @Katy's Wedding

2012 Dogdancing World Championship Finalists

10 Dog Freestyle Finalists Dance for Glory

Now for something completely different. Although I usually stick to agility dog sports-wise in this blog, I thought I would post this video of the 10 top finalist teams competing to be top dog at the Dogdancing World Championships in Salzburg, Austria.

From an agility standpoint there is nice value in that it contains a lot of ideas for conditioning or motivating tricks.

And who doesn't like watching dogs and people having fun, no matter what the sport!

The Chair in the Middle of the Room: An Attitude of Openness

Me and my crazy little Sam.

Back a couple of years when I first started training Samurai in agility, I had a chance to train with Daisy Peel. She was going to do a seminar at a dog training club in my area and I had been counting the days for weeks.


I had been lucky enough to be in the Finals ring with my 4" Papillon, Taylor, that spring, and I had been just a stone's throw away when she threw in that astounding front cross to win the 26" class with her amazing Solar.

Earlier, I had followed her experiments in training running contacts with Solar on Running-Contacts.net. I was impressed with her methodical, yet sensitive approach to training a complicated progression.


And though I literally counted the days, when that actual day did come, I was suddenly struck down by a horrible flu, smack in the middle of the first seminar.


I was so sick, I was stuck in bed, near-delirious with a 102 degree fever for the second day of the seminar.


But by Monday, when Samurai was scheduled for an hour private lesson. I crawled out of the covers determined that I would make it. Bleary-minded and still weak, I showed up at the appointed time. 


We started right in working on running dogwalk contacts and Daisy did not disappoint. She was thoughtful and precise, offering many helpful comments.


But before long, Samurai grew tired of running planks and started getting cranky and impatient. I was starting to lose him.


So Daisy suggested we do something else. And as I waited for that "something", Samurai wandered out of the ring. Then, he went into the kitchen, and after that, he explored the bathroom.

"Don't you know my dog is a lunatic?"

Too tired and sick to argue I watched this go on for quite awhile, then asked: "Don't you want me to call him?'


No, Daisy answered. "Let him do what he wants."


"What?" my fuzzy brain answered. "You can't be serious. Don't you know my dog is a lunatic? That I've spent months teaching him to focus for even an instant? And now I'm supposed to let him just run loose?"


As Samurai took a U-turn to check out the trash, I got up the energy to ask what I'd been thinking. But Daisy calmly said,"No, just wait for him. Sometimes when I do this, I just pull a chair to the middle of the ring."


And as she said it, she pulled two chairs into the ring. And sat.


After awhile, Samurai, apparently bored of his explorations, came flying back, taking a jump for kicks.

Patience pays off in fire and focus.

Daisy clicked it. His curiosity piqued. He circled and ran toward us. Clicked again.


Daisy was away from her own dogs at that time, and probably ready for a little fun. She seemed a charmed by my red-haired little hellion.


Sam sensed it and began to offer more behaviors. Soon he was acting as if he must surely be the smartest and most charming Papillon in the world.


To be honest, it was the happiest I'd ever seen him while working. I think he would have actually jumped in Daisy's bag at that moment and flown with her back to Washington.


Something had definitely happened in that room and it took me a long time and a lot of working in empty rooms to figure out exactly what.


Samurai was a very reactive puppy: Fussy, hard to calm and easily set off by the mildest stimuli. I'd devoted a lot of time and energy on Control Unleashed type training. It was all positive, but it was all centered around"control". That's what I honestly thought Samurai needed.


He did need to learn self-control. But he also needed something else.


He needed me to be open to him. To be a leader, but to also be a listener. To be the guide, but also to give. The poet Khalil Gibran said:

"Stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.” 

Much has been said about the need for connection in agility dog training. Much of time and talk has been devoted to the idea of working as a team, with dog and handler working almost as a single-minded entity.


But it's important to remember that as devoted as they may be, our dogs are separate beings from ourselves. No matter how well trained, they will have their own view, their own perspective, their own emotional response to any given situation.

In honor and respect

find joy.

We cannot forget that. We must honor, respect and find joy in a dog's endless ability to be uniquely and utterly itself.


To realize, allow and accept this fact in total is to open a font of positive energy that can be channeled to many things. It surpasses control because it is a response that is freely given and grown in an attitude of openness.


Note: This post is part of the Dog Agility Blog Action Day on "Attitude" sponsored by AgilityNerd, Steve Schwarz.

Samurai's the Little Lion Man's Slide Show

Samurai is the little lion that roared.

These photos were taken of Samurai at a CPE trial last March. I love the photos since they capture his fiery nature, speed and a spirit that is not yet tamed.


That's what we love about this little guy and though he can be a handful, we feel his fierce joie de vivre is a rare quality in the world today.


The music used in this video is "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons. It's kind of become Samurai's theme song in our house because it captures his intensity and cadence, as well as our struggles to do right by him despite the sometimes steep odds and good intentions gone awry.

New AKC Companion Events Extravaganza Recognizing Top Dogs in Agility, Obedience and AKC Rally® Debuts in 2013

View of the Tulsa Main Arena, site of the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships

On March 15-17, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the National Obedience Championship (formerly known as the National Obedience Invitational) will move from its usual calendar date in December to run in conjunction with the National Agility Championship.  A new AKC Rally® National Competition will be held on the Friday of that weekend. After 2013, the combined "Extravaganza" will rotate to different locations around the country. "Thanks to the vision of retired Companion Events AVP Curt Curtis and his staff, this new `Companion Events Extravaganza' will allow us to showcase the best competitors in the country, rotate venues and teach responsible dog ownership to the public through demonstrations, seminars and other companion dog related activities," said Doug Ljungren, Vice President of Companion and Performance Events. The 2012 National Obedience Invitational and National Juniors Obedience Competition will be held as usual in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship this December in Orlando, Florida. Beginning in December 2013, a new obedience competition - the AKC Obedience Classic - will be held in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando. The new competition will crown the top dogs for the year in the Novice, Open and Utility classes.  The National Juniors Obedience Competition will continue to be held with these events in December. For information about qualifying for these events and additional competition details, stay tuned to http://www.akc.org/events/obedience/ NOTE FROM VIEW FROM 4 INCH: This post is a press release originally distributed by the American Kennel Club on May 4, 2012.

Samurai Says...

Dogs in Art - Strathmore Exhibition

Dogs in Art by Moira McLaughlin
 An Interesting Video Solution 

Morphs Faces of Dogs, Painting to Painting

I've had people ask me why I took a structure class. I'm interested in the connection between structure and performance, of course. But it also connects to the art I see in the canine form and in canine art in general (and in art in general).

So taking the leap away from structure study, we seque back to art for a look at some of the art that's been brought forward by the Strathmore Exhibition, Art Unleashed in Bethseda, Maryland.

I discovered the event and a treasure trove of dog related art on the blog Dog Art Today. 

Beautiful examples that exemplify the relationships of modern day humans with their dogs. Also, carefully classified examples of art from every age.

Desire by Clair Hartmann
Dogs in Relationship 

to Humans and Others

Before you go on to another boring day, I'd invite you to take a look at this carefully curated virtual gallery. Give your eyes a treat. Give yourself a smile. It's a joy anytime we're fortunate enough to come across art that captures art the way we see dogs in those sacred, secret moments that drift like furry tumbleweeds across the greater landscape of our lives.

Samurai Stucture Study Complete

With all the lines in place,

he looks pretty good.

Here is the grand finale of our work with Samurai in our structure class. He looks pretty good. Actually, as I understand it, he's not too different from a Border Collie. He has a 37 degree angle to his shoulder and 39 degrees to his pelvis. Both exceed the 30 degree slope which is recommended for performance dogs. He has a wide thigh with plenty of room for muscle and power for acceleration and jumping. He's got a little less angle in his upper arm, but it's sufficient for good extension.

He's pretty well balanced front to back, which you can see in the fairly balanced angle of the diamond that is made by extending the lines made by his angles. 

I'm especially happy to see the nice angulation in his front, since many Papillons are pretty straight in front.

Samurai's nice rear angulation helps him get his hindquarters up underneath him easily for jumping and turning. The angulation in the front helps him engage his front for acceleration and tight turns.

In reality, he runs fast, turns tightly and jumps with a light grace. 

I could see this part before I started structure class. Now I see the reasons why.

As the level of competition is demanding a higher level of training of agility dogs -- which means a greater investment of time and stress on the dog's structure -- it is more important than ever to have a soundly built dog that is also able to excel at performance. 

Joy Ride

Taylor and Samurai 

take off on wild ride.

Samurai Tries NADAC Tunnelers

Samurai rides home in the "catbird seat"

after going 2 for 2.

We took a quick drive for two NADAC runs today. Samurai went two for two in Novice Tunnelers and Hoopers with two first placements and blazing fast. He ranked as fastest Novice dog all heights in Tunnelers at 5+ yards per second. And that was with 3-4 seconds lost in an almost off course. Sam responded well to his cues, which came in handy since I didn’t get a chance to walk the course and was feeling my way through ad lib. Sam was second fastest dog all heights in Hoopers after a nice Border Collie.

Samurai: Dots Connected

Lines connected point out 

back-to-front relationship.

First off, if you look at the pictures below, you can see the points on Samurai's front above have been adjusted from the points we indicated on his photo below. The yellow ones are more accurate to what is really there on the wind poofed Samurai photo we've been working on.

My initial thoughts is that he is pretty well angled, back to front, overall. He's a little steeper in the front, though he's well angled enough to provide nice extension. Angles in the back give him the ability to get his hindquarters underneath him to accelerate, jump or turn.

He has a 39 degree slope in his pelvis which is over the 30 degrees that is desirable for a performance dog. 

I was afraid he might be over-angulated in the rear, but that seems to be ok, according to Helen, and the overall balance of the angles is nice.

I'm waiting now to get input and will hopefully continue to post updates on my blog.

Samurai's Angles

Nicely angled, mostly.

Here is our latest homework for our canine performance anatomy class. It shows that Samurai is nicely angled in the rear, with a sloping pelvis that means that he can get his hindquarters up underneath him, helping him to jump and turn quickly. His front is straighter, but not bad for a toy breed dog, with a shorter upper arm. It luckily has some angle to it. We'll be learning more about what this all means, but this how things look right now. 

Sam's Anatomy

Learning about canine performance structure

with our pal, the invisible Sam.

Samurai was a skinny puppy, but his bony little self was never so transparent as this layered photo illustration Mike and I created of him for our class with Helen Grinnell King for Daisy Peel's online classroom.

This is a work in progress and the illustration you see here has already been shifted and corrected, with a couple more tweaks to do for tomorrow.

The class has required quite a bit of hands on and computer-assisted exploration, but it's all been worth it. I've learned how little I really understood about canine anatomy, and particularly, functional anatomy.

Still, it's amazing when you think about it. Underneath all that hair, is a very complicated piece of equipment that makes our little guy move the way he does. Understanding the particulars of how he's put together will hopefully help me fine tune the way I need to handle and manage him, as well as project where potential trouble spots might lie and what I can do to prevent injury.

I've enjoyed this class every step of the way and there is more to come. 

Watercolor Samurai

Samurai's watercolor smile.

Last week, we started taking photos of Samurai for performance structure class in Daisy Peel's online classroom. We got a really cute outtake that Mike turned with the help of a new $4 PhotoShop filter into something that resembles a sweet, little watercolor. Thought I would share it hear in hopes that it will make you smile, too!

Easter Buddy

Samurai hops in to wish 

you a Happy Easter!

Samurai was doing his "karate chops" out on the porch this morning, so I got this picture. Sorta.

Anyway, I hope all the fuzzy Easter Buddies out there have a wonderful day!

Spring is a Season for Learning

Tiny Taylor steals a close up 

in a photo shoot for Samurai's structure class.

With Samurai's hazy future as a competition dog, I decided that since we couldn't really show the way I'd like, at least not now, that I would invest in training myself, instead.

It's really an idea that's paid off really well. I've met a lot of wonderful, smart, creative people and have been exposed to some of the most interesting ideas in dogs and dog training around.

It's been cool.

Actually, it turns out that I've got to the point that I enjoy training and learning so much that I don't really miss trialing much, if at all.

So for spring, I've already jumped in, starting with an International Skills Seminar with Agility Nerd, Steve Schwartz and then onto my first online course, a view into performance dog structure with authority, Helen Grinnell King courtesy of Daisy Peel's online classroom project.

We'll go back to camp in the summer and hopefully more good things in between.

I've happened to think back to all the great people I've been fortunate to train with in the last year and a half, and came up with the following list:

Daisy Peel

Stuart Mah

Anne Braue (2x)

Karen Holick

Jennifer Crank

Sherry Kleuver

Dana Pike

Steve Schwartz

Helen Grinnell King

If I could only absorb all the lessons I've been exposed to thanks to these individuals, I would certainly be handling like a pro by now. That hasn't quite happened, but I've had fun learning what I can, and Samurai has certainly benefited.

Samurai takes a break from posing

to give us his trademark smile.

Plus, it's a lot more fun learning new ways to do things to be stuck in the same old, same old.

I think it's also made Samurai a better and more determined learner as he's signed on to the concept that learning is fun -- and fun is learning. Also, that learning is "what we do". 

It's taught him to come in to interactions with eyes and ears open...just in case he might miss something. It's really a very interesting change to see in him.

So will Sam ever have that career in the ring I would wish for? Seriously, I have no idea. But in the meantime, we're building better teamwork and a clearer channels for communications by becoming partners in learning.

So, how are you changing up the ways you train and learn agility? Why not make your own resolution to find a new learning experience for yourself this spring. There are so many great opportunities out there today, it would be a shame not to jump in and try.

Relaxing on Porch with iPad and Papillon

Samurai earns CPE Level 2 H (CL2-H) Title

Samurai shows off his ribbons 

with judge Mike Willis

Samurai stayed on a positive trend in this week's trial outing, bringing home not only 3 out of 3 clean runs, but with fast times and growing confidence. He also earned his CPE Level 2 Handlers Title (CL2-H). This requires two qualifying runs each in the Colors and Wildcard classes. Once again, Sam shows progress in being able keep his focus and ignore distractions. I give this little guy a lot of credit for being able to work through his fears, which are still in play, and channel that energy into running. Thanks, Samurai, for trying your heart out to be a good dog.