Boys Will Be Boys

Yeah, this picture pretty much speaks for itself.

Time-Lapsed Zonk

It's All Good!

Yeah, I was a little crazy in agility class tonight. But you can understand why. Most of the time it's just me and my Forever Mom when we practice, so I guess I got a little amped up with the "audience." My Forever Mom says this is what I need now though - to do agility with other people and dogs around so I can get used to the distractions.

Okay, what's WRONG with this picture?

I can do agility . . .
. . . in a class . . .
. . . with other dogs . . .
. . . and the only problems are that I'm missing a few weave poles and I'm too fast sometimes for my Forever Mom to keep up.

Hmmmm. Seems like normal, novice/"green" dog agility stuff to me. Kind of scary, huh?

Lap Dog Part II

Almost as good as riding shotgun . . . 

Lap Dog

Don't worry people. I may be small, 

but my BIG personality means there's enough of me to go around! 

Me and Ricky

Me and Coree

Me and Sue

Me and Melinda

YouTube Debut

Check out my agility progress on YouTube.

http://youtu.be/Pe_r4zIafrA

Make no mistake, I am fast and I'm having fun, fun, fun!
Can't wait till my first trial.

Ummmm. What's a trial?

Dirty Is As Dirty Does

Surprisingly, this dirty little dog did not require a bath after his trek around the property. How can that be?

Life just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Woosh

Yep, I'm a quick little guy, and I often appear out of nowhere - much to my Forever Mom's dismay. I guess that's why life with me is sometimes a bit of a blur.

Friends

Nigel and I are old buddies. Well, he's old and I'm his buddy. We're both a little "reactive", so we understand each other pretty well. It's good to have friends!

Play Time

I'm a young, smart, athletic little guy. Seriously. When ISN'T it time to play?

Looks Can Be Deceiving

I suppose you think I'm barking in this photo. Ha! I fooled you!
I'm not barking at all. Really! And for two reasons:
1) I bark a lot less than I used to thanks to my Forever Mom's willingness to remind me to stop and follow through with consequences.
2) I'm getting ready to chomp on a big, tall, tasty-looking weed. Yum.

Visiting Friends

One thing is for sure - people like me; I am one hard-to-resist little dude!

Room With A View

I've gone from a down-on-his-luck rescue dog to a watch dog/cuddly lap dog/agility-dog-in-training - all in one short year.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Looking Good!

For the record, I would like to say that I am always pretty darn cute and good looking.
But after today's comb out, for which I cooperated as well as could be expected, I'm also totally ready for the hot weather that's heading our way!

Meet and Greet

The English Toy Spaniel puppies are starting to toddle. They are so small. My Forever Mom said I could meet them face to face because she trusts me to be well behaved around them. No problem. It's all good. Not one growl or snap from me! I just might be a good "big brother" after all! Hmmm. I'm even thinking that when they get bigger and can walk without falling over, maybe I'll teach them some of my signature moves!


But, seriously, when will they grow noses?

Toys vs.Treats

My Forever Mom does a lot of my training with treats. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE TREATS! But sometimes I have to remind her that I'm a toy-loving kind of guy too. Nothing beats a good game of fetch with a few tugs thrown in for good measure. No keep away, though. If I don't play by the rules and give her the toy on command, my Forever Mom up and quits playing. And that's just no fun at all!

Table-Down!

Some might think that me being ON the table is naughty behavior. Lucky for me, my Forever Mom chooses to see this as training and preparation for when I will need to do a down on the pause table in agility.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

 Hi All! It's me, Dixon! I'm back again. I only wish my Forever Mom wasn't so busy - then I could add to my blog more often.

The good news is that despite how challenging of a guy I can be, my Forever Mom still loves me and has not traded me in for an easier-to-live-with model.

So, have you figured out yet what's wrong with this picture? Some might say that the big problem here is me because I jumped onto the counter and appear to be quite comfortable just laying there.

But, no. The REAL problem is the CAT!

No matter what he tells you, trust me. He absolutely does NOT know how to play Scrabble!

A Small Price To Pay

Hey Everybody! Remember me? It's Dixon the busy, brilliant Sheltie from MN Sheltie Rescue! Boy, do I have a lot to say - still. I think I'm ready to explode with all the stuff I want to tell you! The reason I've been reticent lately is because my Forever Mom has been super occupied with work. If only I had opposable thumbs and could type myself! Darn and drat. But, when you hear the news, I think you'll agree my silence of late is a small price to pay.

So, what's the big news? We've moved! Yep, and none too soon according 

to my Forever Mom. After 11 years in the old, small building, Cloud Nine Training School for Dogs is now located at 640 - 11th Ave. S (still in Hopkins). 

Talk about a dog training Mecca! Okay, it's not the hugest place on the planet, but it's double what we had before, and I'm just giddy about the expanded area I have to run and play and chase Donzi and her toy. Plus, there's a room just for puppies, and there's one just for massages (as the official massage mascot, you can imagine how important this is to me), and there's a kitchen of sorts, and there's a nice, comfy, quiet, out-of-the-way room where all us family dogs get to hang out while my Forever Mom teaches classes. 

The new space is a great home away from home for a guy like me who gets to go to work with his Forever Mom everyday, and you really have to visit some time. Come to a play group or an open training time or even a workshop (check out the action and options at www.cloudninetraining.com). And don't let the soon-to-come hot summer weather deter you because we have air conditioning everywhere! Wheeeee!

Speaking of bigger things, I have to say I'm looking a bit bigger myself. I'm not, of course, probably because I'm a super active guy with a quick metabolism, and also because my Forever Mom, always mindful of my slimness and trimness, feeds me only 1/2 cup of food for the entire day (and she even cuts back on that when we do a lot of training for treats). But my lush, profuse, mature adult coat (no doubt a side effect of my good nutrition of late) makes me look like I've doubled in size. (Hmmm - just like the new training school.) I suppose my skinny little legs don't help any either, but I assure you, I am not chubby. I'm still the svelte, speedy, splendid guy I was when you first met me. I'm just a little puffier, that's all. Even though there's not any more of me to love, there is more of me to brush so I suppose I'll be spending a lot more time on the grooming table - another small price to pay -  this time for how flashy I will look when I'm racing around the agility courses at the improved and roomier Cloud Nine Training School for Dogs! 

As the mascot for Sarah Palm Canine Sports Massage, I sometimes get a turn on the table for my own massage! Am I the luckiest guy or what?

Reactive - Who, Me?

Reactive dogs seem to have a lot to say. Thank goodness I have a blog!

Okay, I'll admit it. No more denial. I'm a reactive dog. Even though I don't think I'm entirely to blame as I did have a rough start in life, I have to accept that being prickly is part of my make up. Hard as I try and hard as my Forever Mom tries, it seems I'm destined to make a bad first impression. My Forever Mom explains that  it's some deep-seeded, first-response, mumbo-jumbo default behavior that I'm likely stuck with because no one taught me any differently for so long and, of course, there was all that self preserving stuff I had to do while being a stray and running the streets and all. Oh well, she assures me that she loves me even though I'm a lot more work than she expected. Thank goodness for that.

But, as usual, there is a silver lining in my cloud, and right now it's the fact that I have been able to serve as a "demo" dog in a couple of my Forever Mom's classes at Cloud Nine Training School for Dogs. Yep. That's the truth. No lie. No fib. On more than one occasion, my Forever Mom has paraded me in front of a group of dogs that I didn't know and had me show them how to do stuff. And I did a GREAT job if I do say so myself!

One time I got to demonstrate a jumping exercise, and I was pretty focused and eager. I know this because I did a lot of unnecessary boinging back and forth over the jump, and I think I made my Forever Mom dizzy. At one point I decided to scamper off check out a young Border Collie named Mimic, but when my Forever Mom called "Dixon come" I actually left Mim alone and went back to work. Now let me tell you how hard that was. Not only did I want to check out Mimic, but I also wanted to say hi to some of my human buddies that were nearby: Sarah and Khamsin. But, no. I behaved. I did the right thing. I went back to my Forever Mom and finished the demo. And then I got hugs and kisses and treats. Not a bad trade off for having a little self control. I should remember that. 

Then there was another time when I was . . . (dare I say it out loud?) . . . naughty. Just a tad bit anyway. My Forever Mom opened her office door and I bolted out during a class. Whoa, did that have the potential to be disastrous - at least with the old Dixon. But the new, improved Dixon behaved much differently, much to my Forever Mom's relief and satisfaction I might add. Instead of rushing up to the all the other dogs and causing an aggressive scene, I raced over to a man with a Golden Retriever and sat next to him, ready to earn one of the treats he was giving his dog. And I didn't even lift a lip at the Golden. Ta da! Insert fireworks here!

So, the good news, the silver lining, is that though I am reactive at heart, I can be a good, good, boy. I hope the trend continues because I know that's what would be a dream come true for my Forever Mom!