I think Toby's hair is starting to grow!

Wow! I think Toby's hair is getting longer. I gave him a bath yesterday and measured his hair. It is about an inch longer now. Or should I phrase that differently? It is about an inch now. And it has been several months since this happened. I think it was still chilly out side. I am so hoping that it will grown in by winter. But I don't think so! If I remember correctly he was 2 1/2 or 3 before he got his full coat. It was so gorgeous! I still can not believe that someone would think that I would want it shaved off. My naked boy. Every day I tell him how handsome he is. I hope he can't tell that I am lying to him.

Toby's World

Well, I guess I need to post. It seems that several people, won't mention who, have made the comment that I need to update my post. So here it goes!

Toby is being a turd today. He has been barking nonstop since 8:00 am. There is no sleeping in on my day off with him around. But I guess the is good. This must mean that he is feeling great again. After the month he has had this is good! From getting his gorgeous hair removed to ripping off a toe nail plus getting his teeth cleaned and a nail quick, it has been tough for my big guy.

Last week in class he decided to bring back that old behavior! Yes the zoomies! Needless to say he spent time in the kennel watching me run my imaginary friend. He hates when I do that. I guess he can see the other dog I am running. LOL We don't have any classes this week. There are no classes when there is a holiday. Plus this summer a lot of people dropped out.

Toby is almost weaving with the poles closed. Yeah! The teeter is needing more work. He has decided that he has to pause at the pivot point so I have been working with him driving to the end. I guess all of the pain he has gone through this past month has made him a bit weary. I am having to retrain the hand touch. Last week in class we noticed that I am using the same command for the hand touch and the touch for the target at the end of a contact. OOPs! So now I realize that every time I say touch at the end of the obstacle once he is released and I want him to touch my hand I have been confusing him. After the release from the touch at the end of the obstacle I will release him and tell him to touch for the hand so that I can keep him under control. Will he thought that I was telling him to redo the obstacle and touch the target. So I an changing the hand touch command to just the hand. It will not take him long to get it. I know that all of our problems in agility have been because of me. So I guess I had better get with the program!

My poor sweet boy!

Poor Toby, he just can't get a break. Yesterday while Toby was out in the back yard, some how he managed to rip off a toe nail. I think what happened is when Dave went out front to mow the front yard with our new John Deer riding mower, Toby went nuts charged the fence and while in his neurotic behavior caught his toe nail in the fence and ripped it off. Dave said he heard Toby yelp but continued doing his neurotic behavior. A little later I watched to see if Toby had hurt his foot or leg. Low and behold, on his back foot was a red bleeding nasty looking thing on his foot. As I looked closer I noticed that he did not have a nail on that toe. It was the most nasty looking thing I have ever seen. I just can't imagine having a toe nail ripped off. So I called my friend and she told me how to take care of it. I was up all night with worry. This morning I dropped Toby off at the vet on my way to work. The Vet was able to put some type of surgical covering over the nail and give him something for pain. My poor sweet boy. I was able to bring him home after work. By this time he was starving like Marvin. So I fed him and now he is working he sympathy card big time. At least now I know I can get some sleep tonight. Which I am off to get Toby his thumper ears and we are going nightie night!

This makes me so sad!

This post is going to be very short. I just can't believe that a groomer would do this to a sheltie!

Wow! Time is getting longer between posts!

I have lots to get caught up on. Let me start with Toby. He is doing great! A couple of weeks ago I took Toby to a Holistic Dr. for his allergies. Man did I ever open a can of worms. For the next two weeks I can only feed Toby cooked tapioca, steam zucchini, and canned rabbit. After that I have to find ostrich or emu, cooked quinoa, and steamed broccoli. Once this is over I can start to add back different things one at a time to see what he maybe allergic to.

The Holistic Dr. was worried about Toby's knees. So we went to on orthopedic Dr. They were able to take a bunch of x-rays of his knees and back with out putting him to sleep. Everything checked out just fine. So then we went to the chiropractor. The Chiropractor seems to think that with a few adjustments Toby we be good as new. All I know is the same night as his first adjustment he was absolutely a dream in agility class. You could tell that he was feeling great and having a great time. We were able to do five obstacles in a row with front and rear crosses and he still came back to me when I called. I sure hope this keeps up. Maybe he was acting out because he just did not feel good.

The only problem I am having now is for the next 5 weeks I will be working 5 days a week. Man did I ever get spoiled only working 2 and 3 days a week. Oh well I guess I will just have more money to spend on Toby. Dave is jealous, he wants to die and come back as Toby.

Poor Dave, he is in Texas right now. He has been there all week. I get to pick him up a the airport on Saturday. I just can't believe that they move us to GA and then send Dave back to Texas to work. Crazy, Crazy. Next week is suppose to be his last week out in the field. He will be moving back into the office. I am not holding my breath. They have said this many times.

As for my right leg. The chipped bone in my foot is healing fine. The chipped bone in my ankle is not doing so well. The partial tear in my knee has gone completely away. I sure hope I can run soon.

If I am running by the end of June I think I will be able to put Toby back in the to show ring by September when it cools off.

As always I will try to post more often!

What a cluts!

Well, let me tell you about my last deal. It seems that I have chipped a bone in my foot. So, since I have been in Georgia (8 months) I have chipped a bone in my ankle, chipped a bone in my foot, and partially tore a ligament in my knee. I guess I need to be thankful that I have not broken my neck. OOPS! I guess I should not joke about that. It just might happen.

Toby and I did not go to class tonight. I am still trying to figure out how to drive with this boot on my foot. Man it was a pain driving with the brace on my knee. However I did get a good hip action going to make the change from the gas petal to the break. That is the same leg that is in the boot. So you can just imagine how hard it is to press the gas petal and then the break. That was the main reason I did not go to class. Today was the first day I have had to wear the boot. Maybe by next week I will feel comfortable enough to brave Atlantic traffic during rush our. I know Toby would appreciate it.

Man! How time Flies!

OK Dori! I can't believe that it has been two months since my last post. Sorry Guys! Life has been very busy and My job has been very strenuous. Things are starting to get back to normal or as normal as can be since I am in Atlanta and all of my friends are in Texas. I miss you guys a bunch!

Toby is doing very well these days. He loves his huge back yard but I am going to have to band him from it. For one it is full of mud. The other, well lets just say that it turns him into a brat!

When I was in Dallas in January I received a call from my trainer her in Atlanta. Toby and I were being moved to another class. At first I was upset. Just for the fact that I truly loved the trainer we found when we came to Atlanta. She totally gets Toby and has helped us to get back on track with our training. I thought that we were being put back again. We were going to have to start over. Well, that was not the cases. We were moved up a notch. Finally we were getting somewhere and that somewhere is closer to the show ring. As time has passed people started dropping out one by one. Now I am back with the old instructor plus I am working with two other instructors. Not sure how it is going to work out this next session but I think it is going to be OK. However Toby has started zooming again. Not much and now we use the touch command which brings him back to me. We are also completing 4 obstacle sequencing. Huge improvement. Toby is not weaving yet but we are almost there. The teeter is coming along very nicely. Toby has learned to ride the teeter down in a squatting position and stay two on and two off until I release. This will give me so much more control over him and he doesn't even realize it. Toby's 2 on and 2 off on the dog walk is perfect. I am still working on the 2 on and 2 off with the A-frame. I know that most are training the running contact to the A-frame so that they can gain speed and have less injuries. However, If I would use the running contact on the A-Frame I know for a fact that Toby will leap from the apex. There is no question in my mind about that. I have seen him do that many times. So I will just stay with the two on and two off and be OK with that behavior and if it looses us time will that is better than Toby having something like his back or one of his legs broke. It just is not worth it to me.

The Sun is finely starting to peak out form the clouds. We have not seen the sun since last Tuesday. I think I will take Toby out for a bit to enjoy it while it is out.

I promise I will update soon!