Taking a Break

Well, yesterday was our first day back to work and it was a VERY long day, as we also had an evening meeting that we needed to stick around for. Mariko and I decided to get out of the office for an hour and enjoy daylight and sunshine.

I think we may need to make this more of a habit than it has been in the past. It was relaxing for both of us (especially since Mariko got to enjoy some cradle and massage).

Mixing in Some Fun

Mariko got to have another sleepover on July 20th with a friend while Bailey and I tried our hand with our first sanctioned agility trial. I really wanted to have Mariko there so she could learn and be around other dogs, but rules are pretty strict about having only dogs that are competing be in the area.

Agility Course

Bailey was awesome,

Bailey did a VERY good job for her first time. We ended up running three runs, and she ran all three clean, and even placed first in Weaves and Jumps (we were both surprised). It was a great day for all, including Mariko, as she was able to play all day with "little" people.

Mariko had too much fun.

I still can't believe how good this puppy is. Even though we haven't trained for a couple of weeks, she picks right back up where we left off as if we hadn't skipped a beat (I wish I was that disciplined).

Such a good puppy.

Mariko, you're an awesome puppy!

Catching Up

Wow, it has been a whirlwind two weeks (or maybe three). I traveled to St. Louis for  conference without Mariko. It was very strange for me to be without her for that long, and I found myself looking at different surfaces that she would have been able to experience, and the sounds of a city would have been great for her to experience as well.

After returning from St. Louis, we were on the road again (this time Mariko was able to attend) headed to Cedar City, Utah for a meeting. It was about 5 1/2 hour drive and Mariko was excellent. She even settle right into the hotel like a pro when we arrived.

Kicking back for the night

Being good during the day-long meeting

Catching up on cradle and massage

It was so good to get back home and have this little stinker by my side again, but it will be interesting to see how she likes going back to work. After arriving back home from Cedar City, we spent the following week on vacation, so Mariko and I are both undergoing some depression right now, as we are both "back to work" on this beautiful Monday morning (well, I'm back to work and Mariko is snoring under my desk, ha ha).

Getting Ready to Leave Town

Well, the time for St. Louis is almost here and that means our presentations should be prepared and so should I. Yesterday was committed to rehearsing and preparing final notes. Last night, I found myself adding to the final notes :-) and stressing.

Mariko seemed to take the day in stride, until about 8 p.m. last evening. It was at that time she decided to show me "the pouty face" that only she has mastered:

Okay Mariko, I get it, it's your turn!

And yes, we threw the ball and played with a toy before bed.

Our Crazy Fourth of July Week

Life at our house has been pretty crazy, in fact, all of July is going to be crazy for us :-)

Because July 4th fell on a Wednesday this year, we were able to have two Mondays and two Fridays last week, both of which were extremely busy. So, we took advantage of a day off in the middle of the week to catch up on some rest, relaxation, and of course . . . . some cradle and massage:

Kicking back with Karlee

Hanging with Katie

This silly puppy loves cradle and massage so much, she will actually come and sit on your lap and turn herself upside down if you are sitting on the floor and look like you might actually be there "just for her" ;-)

Tuesday afternoon I had the opportunity to have her come with me to conduct some training at work. This was how she decided to let me know it was WAY past time to go home:

How can this be comfortable.

This week I will be out of town (airplane kind of "out of town") for several days, so she will have a lot of kennel time during the week. No training this week (poor girl). However, we did train a lot last week and she did sooooo good! I might even say, CGC kind of good :-)

Onto a busy week. Hopefully the kids will keep her occupied and out of trouble and provide some fun experiences (with pictures) that we can add for next week.

Already 7 Months Old

Oh my, where does the time go. I can't believe our silly puppy is already 7 months old. She is tipping the scales at 50 pounds and really behaving remarkably well in public.

We had an opportunity last Thursday to attend an outing with many of the puppy raisers from the Ogden area. We visited the Ogden Nature Center for this event. We walked through the Center after hours so that the dogs were able to experience a lot of different smells, sounds, and surfaces (and of course, a lot of other CCI puppies in training). Mariko even got to be with Lucy (who of course, next to Bailey, is her BEST buddy).

We have really been practicing bed with duration and distance. She has been doing very well (as long as we don't add distraction). She is really good under my desk at work, and we even practiced in the locker room early mornings this last week after my workouts. I did find that if she was in front of the mirror so that she could also practice "I'm so cute," she did really well.

Do I look good or what :-)

Practicing bed.

It has also turned out pretty hot, so we decided to provide her with an fun way to cool down.

Watching Katie's feet.

Playing with the markings on the bottom of the pool.

End result of playing in the pool, LOL

We had a great week and are excited to begin a new one. I just hope life slows down a bit. This next week will present a new challenge, as it is the Fourth of July and I'm confident there will be lots of new sounds. She has done very well in the past with new experiences, but I plan to have some extra treats around just in case she shows any signs of nervousness (and, of course, there will be balls to chase).