A Second Chance

This is my first post since the car accident. I still have no memory of it, but what I know is the following:
I left around 6:15 p.m. last Thursday to go to a Sheltie club meeting. I debated whether or not to take Moto, thank GOD I decided not to and was on my way. What I have been told happened was I was on highway 35. There was a pickup truck towing another pickup truck using a chain. The entire rear axle of the towed vehicle came off causing the chain to snap and the truck swerved into my lane. I swerved to avoid it, swerved to avoid another car, lost control and hit the truck doing the towing (who was now in the shoulder) spun, and went into a ditch. The Jaws of Life were used to extricate me and once in the closest hospital they found an air bubble around my heart which I guess is serious as they wanted to life flight me to KU Med where they could handle the emergency surgery that was needed.
I was told that I refused to go in the helicopter and was ambulanced to KU Med. Once there, another X-ray could find no air bubble - thank God! so no emergency surgery needed. Still worrisome was my brain as I had quite the concussion. Also a broken collar bone (where my seat belt was) and some cracked ribs. Amazingly, no internal injuries.
So after two days in ICU they gave me a mental test to see if my brain was in good working order. The doctor would tell me a story and I had to tell it back to him. I had to recite the 12 months of the year backwards and forwards. I cannot remember the rest but my brain seemed to work good enough, so after 2 more days in the regular hospital they released me.
I cannot even begin to tell you how emotional it is to come home after such a terrifying ordeal. My loving husband helped me into my home and my five ecstatic dogs greeted me. There was my beautiful home on its five gorgeous acres. I got to keep it all, I got to return home with my brain and limbs intact. How many people get a second chance at life like this? I am sooo grateful.
Then came the flowers, the cards, the candy (thanks Shannon who KNOWS I am a serious chocolate lover and sent some serious chocolate - love ya!!!), the phone calls, the emails. I cannot believe how surrounded I am by incredible people who wish me well.
Yes, while I still occasionally question God (how could YOU let this happen to ME???) at the same time I know I am amazingly lucky to come through such a horriffic crash intact. While I'm out a car and can't drive for 6 weeks, all it is, is an inconvenience. Cars can be replaced. Bones can mend. Returning to normal: priceless.
Thank you, all of you, for your friendship. I really am the luckiest person on Earth!

Good boy!

Today was a very busy day for Moto, and one of the most fun so far. First was our weekly obedience class and there were only two of us. This gave us two students a little more personal time and Moto and I worked on our about turns with attention. Also introduced the mark and glove retrieve which he picked up in just a few moments. He is understanding the retrieve game and is beginning to enjoy himself. He even played tug with the glove with me! He didn't fail a single exercise although he is getting a bit sloppy on his long sit (will roll onto a hip) but other than that he was great.
Then on to our tracking lesson. He was given a regulation-length track, aged 30 minutes. But he was ready for it and didn't falter for a second. He actually got stronger and more confident as we tracked and never once strayed away. He does occasionally "critter" (sniff at deer poop, etc) and needs to be told "leave it" but other than that we are making very rapid progress now. I anticipate in another month he may be ready to certify. The cutest thing was when he found the glove he downed with his tail wagging as if to say "look what I found Mom!" It was very very cute.
He's going to sleep well tonight!

Defying the Odds

Blitz turned 2 this weekend. It's a small cause for celebration as the vets told me he would only live to be 2. We've had a few scares and some close calls, but overall he is as healthy as can be, in fantastic spirits and his quality of life is excellent. I can't make any predictions as to his life length as things change so suddenly with him. So for now, as with Dusty, we enjoy the here and now and are very, very thankful to have him here with us.
Moto training log: Also this weekend we introduced article #2. After a brief go-over of articles and retrieving of articles I introduced the 2nd article. It was way behind the 1st and correct article which had squeeze cheese on it. Moto did great. After a few times I moved the correct article BEHIND article #2. At first he wanted to retrieve it, but a gentle "ah-ah" and I pointed him to the article with the squeeze cheese on it. Oh....I get it! When he licked the cheese and brought back the right article to my praise his tail wagged and he was so pleased with himself. After that he caught onto the game and truly enjoyed himself. So now we begin the Around The Clock method of training articles and I know progress will continue to be rapid.
He's dropping his eyes a bit on the about turn which we are working on. Otherwise, attention is very very good. He still needs to be reminded to move quickly on his finishes but he is always trying hard. He CAN pop into a sit but I don't think he can physically do it when heeling, his back is just too long. So, a fast sit is critical or this will be our biggest point-loser in the Obedience Game.
Sunday we went to Bridget's and Moto got to see his first goats. Very cute and nimble. He is still fearful and lacking in confidence and the goats immediately sensed this. If they turned to face him he ran away but as Bridget says he DID stick with it and we walked around the pen several times with Moto bringing up the rear. Gosh I hope he "turns on" at some point so we can get some herding titles!

Yay! NOW Articles are fun!

Moto got the day off yesterday from everything, since we had our obedience lesson AND I did that difficult tracking session on Tuesday. This morning I tried articles again which was a world of difference. Moto clearly was stressed when he saw me set out the article, so I played with him a bit to release some of the tension. I set it out, sent him and when he approached it he laid down, remembering the ear pinch. I just stood there quietly and let him work through it as I could see his wheels turning. I LOVE watching this dog think! He licked the bar for a few seconds (I'd put a tiny smear of cheese on the bar) and then sure enough, he picked it up and brought it back. I cheered him on and his tail wagged and he was very proud of himself. He got a big paycheck with some squeeze cheese. After that it was a piece of cake and he brought it back just fine. If I have a good results again tomorrow we'll introduce article #2 maybe. This is a dog that is very smart, but cannot be pushed too fast.
I'm very excited as next weekend is a show 'n' go all the way in Omaha, NE, a 3-hour drive away. My dear friend Kathy will be there with her talented dogs and her husband's new pup - who is the same age as Moto - will be there. There should be lots of great trainers with their dogs so it should be a fun day to train and watch other good handlers. Hope the weather holds so we can go!

Tracking great, Obedience just OK

First the tracking which was really exciting! As you know the weather is GORGEOUS, and I couldn't resist taking Moto out for a nice tracking lesson. I took him to Jesse James Park here in Kearney. While some of it is mowed fields, a lot of it is still left natural and is perfect for tracking. I drove to an area we hadn't been in before and began walking. As I made my first corner I was getting excited as the terrain was really challenging, yet would be a lot of fun. It went from trampled grass past a small burn area, a steep drop-off along a creek, brushy areas and I was really excited. But then when I reached for more hot dogs I realized I'd dropped them somewhere! I couldn't find them anywhere and had only made two turns. Had to end the track right there so down went the glove and I walked back to the car.We aged it about 20 minutes and set off. Moto started off at his usual fast trot but as the terrain changed he became very thoughtful and deliberate. His first turn was absolutely gorgeous. Working slowly but steadily he plowed through the deep grass, head down. As we rounded the 2nd corner (again, perfectly) he suddenly downed....there was the bag of hot dogs! GOOD BOY! We had about 25 more paces to the glove which he nailed. So not only was it a great tracking session, he actually found something I had lost! OK, OK, it was really stinky but he did indicate and waited to get the treats inside the bag!
So that was yesterday. Monday I started Moto on articles. He had no problem being introduced to metal. All went fine until he had to retrieve it. I guess in his mind since it was different from his "regular" dumbbell, he didn't have to do it. Unfortunately I had to use compulsion (ear pinch) to convince him to get it. I was hoping articles would be FUN but this is not such a good start *sigh*. So, just did the retrieve several times with lots of praise and that was the end. On Tuesday was also our obedience lesson and he was fine there, however had some differences of opinion with my teacher. He's great and so patient and doesn't take things personally. I'm very grateful for that. It's very touchy as it's a group class and I don't want to sound "uppity" but there's some things I just don't agree with - how to say it tactfully without sounding disrespectful? That's the line I walk.
I'm hoping we can see sheep this weekend. Shiloh desperately needs a job. I think our agility classes will begin in a few weeks, what a relief. Poor guy has been going stir-crazy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUSTY!!!

Today is Dusty's 14th birthday. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful first Sheltie. As of this writing Dusty is completely healthy and of sound mind and body. I'm extremely grateful to say he's never had a seriously ill day in his life. Dusty is my first performance dog and together we explored obedience, herding, agility and tracking. Dusty achieved a UDX, Herding Intermediate, and NA and NAJ in agility. While Dusty loved tracking, we started too late in life and came close to certification but all that walking is just too much so he is now completely retired. His new "job" is to walk with me every day to get the newspaper (we have a long driveway out here in the country) and help me get the mail too. He is still top dog in the pack and rules with quiet power. This picture was taken of him today, and as you can see he is a Grand Old Man.

I love you, my special boy!

Progress now rapid!

I am so happy to report that obedience training is really taking shape now. Moto is enjoying his lessons and I love watching the wheels turn. He is probably the most intelligent dog I've ever had, and that's saying a lot because this unbiased mom thinks ALL her pups are very smart! What is different about Moto is he loves problem-solving and it's so much fun letting him work things out. Example: yesterday we worked on directed jumping. I moved the jumps a bit farther apart. Not a problem when going over the high jump. But, when I indicated the bar jump he started to come through the middle. I went forward to block this from happening. He stopped and you could see him sort it out, and then went over the bar which of course I celebrated with lots of praise. His dumbbell retrieve is absolutely lovely now and he moves out smartly to the dumbbell and comes back at a quick trot. So next week we'll start articles!
The other huge thing that happened yesterday was that he preferred my company over the other dogs. It's been so nice and warm lately, and we were able to have a nice game of fetch. The way the game usually goes is I throw the tennis ball and Shiloh retrieves it. Blitz will also get it intermittently, Dusty (who is now 14) likes to chase around and bark at all the activity and Daisy usually grabs a tug toy and invites someone to play tug with her while all this is going on. Moto typically would play tug with Daisy, and then Blitz would join in. This time Moto didn't play tug at all and opted to compete for the ball. This didn't please Shiloh much but I was thrilled that he would run to get it and he came right back to me with it. I made sure I let Moto know this was a GOOD thing and celebrated and praised this new behavior.
We are on our way - hooray!

So proud of my big boy!

We came back from our sho-n-go Sunday and I was just thrilled with both Moto and Shiloh! In spite of NO training whatsoever, Shiloh did really nice utility work. He NQ'd on articles (a little unsure of himself, didn't take time to check for the right ones) but other than that he did very, very well - nice fronts and finishes! If I were to enter him he'd need just a little polishing on his heelwork and of course article work. I may toy with entering him in our Sheltie specialty - not for anything other than to bump up the OTCH points for someone and help the entry numbers.
But the best part was Moto! What was especially thrilling was that he brought the same attitude I've been working on into the ring. He tried really, really hard and his attention was lovely. Of course he's nowhere near being entered and his progress is going slower than I would like, but again it will pay off in the long run because he has GOOD ATTITUDE.
The best part was a gal who was at last month's fun match (she's OTCH'd 2 Goldens) said she saw a huge improvement in his attitude, and his accuracy was better too! So I am so happy with my big boy! Oh! I also took him into the sho ring in the back and we worked on our dumbbell retrieve - perfect! One more week to get it down into muscle memory and I'll start articles!