Saturday, March 10, 2007

Baloo turns One on Tuesday, March 13


Well, it's happened. A year has passed. This time last year I was anxiously awaiting Baloo's arrival, in three short days it will be Baloo's birthday. Time has certainly flown by, yet it seems so long ago that she was the tiny puppy sitting on the picnic table in that adorable 7 week pose. We have had so much fun together this first year. She has turned out to be one of the friendliest dogs I've ever met. Her latest thing is to lay down on her back, twisting and wiggling in front of the other dogs at Carver park to entice them to play, or maybe just to point out how lovely it is to lay in the grass in the spring. Playing keep away has always been a favorite, but now she's more driven to get the ball. Lately she seems more determined than ever to go after the ball and get the other dogs to chase her. Her most annoying habit lately is never wanting to leave the dog park. She has started to run away from me when it's time to go.

Our agility class met a couple days ago, on Wednesday. Baloo is still having tunnel and weave pole issues. Luckily, we didn't have to step through a ladder this class. Instead there was a set of about 15 pvc poles laid out and Baloo had no problem stepping through those, she's a natural at careful foot placement. She also didn't do too bad jumping through the ring. The plank walk, which she excelled at last week, was difficult this time because the plank was raised up on blocks. Each week the obstacles will be arranged slightly different than the week before - not only was the plank raised, but also the tunnel was stretched longer. Baloo is so wary of these changes and doesn't adjust very quickly to the new setups. So now I've set up a plank in my back yard. I'm also planning to get a set of weave poles on Wednesday - one of the instructors is making several sets to sell. Also, I'm considering getting an agility tunnel - but that is more of a consideration because it is a bit of an investment. Agility tunnels are pretty pricey. But there's no way to get her used to these things during the short time in class, we need to practice at home. I do see the potential for Baloo to lose her fear of these obstacles and we are going to keep practicing.

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