A Low Bar for the High Jump

Today Winnie and I took out the Agility Starter Kit.  It's only been a few months since we got it but you know... better late than never.  Winnie spent a long day in her kennel while both my husband and I were at work so I thought "What could be a better way to stretch our legs and use are brains that to try something new?"  

I know what this means!

The first thing I did was go and get my treat pouch.  This is more or less a little nylon bag with a stiff mouth so your training treats are easily accessible and your pockets don't get all crummy with kibble.  I don't love this "clip on the pocket" model but it gets the job done.  I think I would prefer something more like a fanny pack.  I always seem to be bumping this one with my arm. 

Pish... can you say cake walk?

Next, we set up the "high jump."  Obviously, because this was our first time we set a "low bar."  :-)  Winne can jump surprisingly high for a corgi.  She can get on our bed, with a running start, which is 30 inches tall.  (I don't encourage her to do that by the way... but sometimes she can't be stopped.)  We set the bar at 6 inches just to get comfortable with it.  I put on her leash and showed her a treat then while moving the treat over the bar (and preventing her from going around the bar by holding her leash) said "over" while she jumped. 

I did a good job!

She did a good job although I could tell she wondered why she just couldn't go around the obstacle.  We repeated the jump about 10 times then I let her off the leash for a victory lap.  Who doesn't love a victory lap?  :-)

I amended this last part after Kelly left her comment asking "Was the Agility Kit worth the money?"  My long answer is in my responding comment but the short answer is this.  If you want to get started right away, get the kit.  If you are a creative person that likes to build stuff then get the book I reference in my blog post Dog Agility Step 1: Read The Book and build your own kit.  The book, however, is worth every penny.

Take Your Dog to Work Day (Unofficial)

I'm one of those people who are lucky enough to be able to come home for lunch.  This is nice for several reasons. 

1. It's a short commute to the office. 
2. I actually get to eat the leftovers we always say we're going to but never do. 
3. I don't actually need to decide what I'm going to eat until I open the frig door and look inside. 
4. I get to see my pretty pup. 

Today, I came home for lunch and after I had eaten it was time to head back to the office.  I put on my shoes and grabbed my bag and Winnie looked so sad that I was leaving I couldn't stand myself.  So, I took her to work for the afternoon.  When she saw me get her leash she was all smiles!




So am I an intern now?


She gets to take this dogie field trip about once a month.  I make sure it's a slow day without too much foot traffic or hard deadlines so if there's a problem I can manage it but so far so good. 

What do you mean I'm not getting paid?

Her favorite place to plop was in the hall between my office and my co-workers.  She keeps an eye out this way so she doesn't miss anything. 

Hey!  Don't you have work to do?

And no one could help getting/giving a good scratch.

What can I say?  They love me!

All in all, I love days like today.  :-)

Last Days of Summer

These are just a few shots of Winnie in the backyard.  It's a warm evening so we're taking advantage of it before Fall and Winter arrive.

As much as I would like to make a "Stop and Smell the Flowers" comment here Winnie was actually just investigating some bees. 

The bees

Peek-a-boo Corgi.