Well Darn!!

Oh I am so bummed. The new session of advance obedience classes started tonight and we had to miss the first class. :( I went to sign up for class tonight thinking that class started at 6:15 (according to the website) and the class really started at 7:30. I had to work tonight so I couldn't stick around until the class ended at 8:30. Boooo!!!

Poor Falkor was SO excited tonight too. He can tell when I get his training gear out and he was not amused when I didn't get him out of his crate in the van. So we'll start next Tuesday. Falkor will be beyond excited to find out that one of his favorite girl Danes, Greta, will be in his class! They have know each other since they were just babies and have been best buds since. Greta will also be a wonderful distraction for Falkor because he luuurves her so very much. :)

Oh poor Falkor's tail...I'm taking him back to the vet tomorrow because it looks awful. I cannot keep ANY kind of bandage on it. I am just sick about it.

Class Starts Again Next Week! Yippeee!

I have really missed being in obedience classes with Falkor this past month. There was a break between sessions and I was training for a new part time job so I missed the last couple of classes in the last session. The next session starts next week and I can't wait. I love taking classes with Falkor and I think it helps to keep me on track with training.

We did some tracking yesterday in a new field near our sub and it was the first time I aged the track more than 20 minutes. I laid two straight tracks about 75 yards each and aged them 35 minutes. Falkor was dead on the first track and plowed straight to the glove. The second track had some crosswinds and he had a little more trouble with that track. We need to practice with crosswind.

Falkor's darn Happy Tail is going to drive me bonkers. The set up for keeping his tail between his legs has been working great, but now he's licking the darn boo-boo. We've tried in inflatable, e-collar, the neck brace e-collar, the old fashioned e-collar, and every type of bitter/bad tasting spray (which he seems to think are YUMMY) and nothing is working. :(

Tracking Progress and Tail Boo-Boo

We have been officially tracking for a month now and I can't believe how far we have come! I am totally new to tracking and was feeling a bit overwhelmed about not knowing anything in the beginning, but I feel much more comfortable now. Falkor lurves tracking and gets SO excited when I get our tracking gear out of the van. We have done over 15 different tracking sessions (many with multiple tracks) so far and we are up to working on turns and aging the tracks up to 20 minutes.

I do need to get myself a nice tracking line because when Falkor is really on track he pulls hard and fast and my crappy nylon long line burns my hands.

On a sad note poor Falkor has the dreaded "happy tail". Most Great Dane owners know what that is, but in a nutshell it's when a dog gets a wound on their tail from wagging it hard on various surfaces. Falkor carries his tail very high for a Dane and he wags it HARD. He wags it so hard that when it hits you it feels like a bull whip!

Unfortunately, the way our house is laid out there is a circle through the kitchen and he hits his tail on every door frame. :( He was making it bleed very occasionally but now he has a real wound on it and I had to rig something up to protect him from himself. I found out about this tail healing method from a Dane friend and there is a great website that explains it very well. Healing Happy Tail I got Falkor hooked up today and I was really surprised that it doesn't seem to bother him. He was confused why he couldn't wag his tail at first. LOL Hopefully this will work and his tail will heal well. I LOVE his tail and I would be heartbroken if we have to do surgery.

I got to see my brother again!!

We were so excited to find out that Cooper and his Mom and Dad were going to be in town during the Pet Expo and we got to meet at the the dog park again to play. The boys were dying to play at the Expo so they were thrilled to be able to rip it up at the park on Sunday. I could watch them play all day! Falkor just adores Cooper and would try to pull/bite his tail when he tried to play with any other dog. Silly brothers!

Great Iowa Pet Expo 2009

On Saturday Falkor and I went to the Great Iowa Pet Expo at the fairgrounds. I've been going to the Expo for years and this year was by far the biggest and busiest! When we first got there I could hardly walk Falkor down the aisles. He was a bit overwhelmed when we first got there but settled down quickly and was loving all the attention. The Upper Midwest Great Dane Rescue had a booth there and many of our Dane friends were volunteering at the booth. Janelle was there with Cooper (Falkor's brother) and Bev was there with Kizzy and Skye. Falkor was thrilled to see his brother again and they wanted to wrestle so badly. We had quite a few people stop to watch them play bitey face. Falkor was also thrilled to see two if his girlfriends, and I think Kizzy and Skye were happy to see him too.

There was a booth at the expo called Yankee Handmade Collars that had really fun fabric dog collars and they were big enough for Falkor! It is so hard to find fun collars that are big enough for a Dane. I bought him a blue flame one and one with snowmen for Christmas. I wanted to get one with some really cute Thanksgiving fabric she had but she didn't have one in the big size.

I think Falkor looks pretty dashing in his new collars. :)

It was a little bit difficult being at the Expo because it was something I did every year with Finnegan, especially the costume contest, and this was the first year without him being there. I didn't enter the contest this year even though I had a costume for Falkor because it was just too soon. Although it was a really nice surprise to find that they used a photo of Finnegan in his kissing booth costume in the Expo program. I had no idea they were going to do that and I was quite shocked when I opened the program and saw the photo. It made me happy and sad at the same time.

Tracking Class and Brotherly Love

We started tracking class at the DMOTC last weekend and it was a great start. I had started some really introductory tracking with Falkor before the class but it's great to work with people that actually know what they are doing. :) There are four people helping to teach the class together that have a great deal of experience with tracking, in fact one of them - Jerry Lewis - has a Champion Tracking title. Shannon and I paired up and did some tracks with the boys. Phaser is a natural tracker and tracks like the wind!! Falkor was a little distracted and needed my help quite a bit. We've been working on some motivational tracks with Falkor since our first class and he seems to be getting the idea. He also seems to really enjoy it!

And this is REALLY cool! Last weekend Falkor's brother Cooper's Mom emailed me and told me that they were visiting in the Des Moines area and asked if we wanted to meet at the dog park on Sunday. I was just thrilled! Falkor and Cooper hadn't seen each other since they were baby puppies. So we met at the park on Sunday morning and after just a few minutes of sniffing each other they were nearly inseparable, and played HARD together for the entire time we were there. It was such a treat to see them together and to be able to tell our dog park friends that Cooper was Falkor's real brother. Falkor and Cooper look very much like brother's in structure and body type. They both very much take after their Poppa, Ryu...big boys with big, blocky heads. They also both have VERY long tails. :) Cooper is so handsome and was very sweet. We had a great time visiting and I know the boys had a blast playing together. I so wish that we lived closer to one another. And of course I forgot to bring my darn camera!! Booo!

CLWKS CHROMA Never Ending Story, RN!!! Woo-Hoo

I am am very excited to announce that Falkor earned his Rally Novice title this weekend!! I think I am still a little shocked. :) I entered the trials this weekend because they were literally in my backyard and the trial on Monday was actually at our local obedience training club building. Based on our training I felt we were ready but after the trials I realize we need a lot of work training with distractions.

Here is the rundown of our weekend:

Friday: There was a Great Dane Specialty on Friday and Falkor was the only Great Dane entered in either obedience or Rally, which was a bit surprising to me since there was a HUGE Dane entry. The building where this show is held is on the Iowa State Fairgrounds and is enormous and very distracting. There are upwards of 20 rings with conformation and obedience going on simultaneously, along with loads of vendors, food and grooming areas. When we first walked in the building Falkor's head was nearly revolving in a circle. He wouldn't even take liver treats from my hand! (completely unheard of for him!) We walked around a bit, did some obedience work and then went into the ring. The course was very nice...open and had a nice flow. Falkor was a little bit distracted but would connect with me at each station during our run. We got a 95 and 1st place since we were the only Dane entered. ;) The judge complimented me on having a very nice, happy, energetic working Dane, which made me smile.

Saturday: Falkor was still VERY distracted and excited at the building and once he spotted a few Danes there entered in confirmation he was desperate to play and flirt. I was a bit worried when I saw the course map because it was confusing even on paper. When we did the walk through nearly every single person got lost or confused at least once. We started our run and things were going great until *I* got confused on the freaking spiral and had to repeat it. We also had some trouble with a Fast Pace because there was very little room for us to get to a fast and get back to normal. Regardless, we got an 89 and I thought we did well for a more complicated course.

Monday: This trial was held at our local obedience club building which I thought would be a great advantage until we got there and I saw how insanely crowded it was! I could barely walk Falkor through the building to get to our ring. And the ring they used for Rally was VERY small. The course was VERY tight and even people with medium sized dogs were commented on how tight it was when we did the walk through. I counted the steps we had to do the Fast and there were 4 small steps...uh-oh. LOL Falkor was VERY excited about being at "his" building but once we entered the ring he became totally Zen. It was awesome! We had a beautiful run and came away with a 95 and a 3rd place in a very competitive B class. I was just thrilled when I saw our score! Falkor got a beautiful new title ribbon and we stopped and got a hamburger on the way home to celebrate.

I am really proud of our accomplishment this weekend. We have worked really hard and it certainly paid off. I now know that we need to do a lot more work with distractions and different locations. We both love training and the relationship we are building together is remarkable. Falkor is only 15 months old and I am so proud that he was able to do so well this weekend. I am excited about our future in performance events!!!!

Doggie Swim 2009

Every year some of the local community pools have Doggie Swims where they allow local doggies to come and swim before they drain and clean the pool for the season. We missed out last year because I didn't hear about them in advance, but I've been to a few of the swims with Hexi and Isla in the past and they were so much fun.

Falkor and I headed to the Doggie Swim at the Valley View Aquatic Center last Tuesday. It was SO much fun. There were lots of friendly, playful doggies and Falkor was in heaven. I had to take Jackson with me because Mark had to work late. Jackson loved watching the dogs run and swim and play. Falkor found a Malamute doggy friend to play with and they had a blast. They wrestled and ran around like crazy. It was a treat to watch.

Eeeks we are officially entered!

Falkor is officially entered in Novice B Rally at the September trial in Des Moines. I am very excited but also very nervous. I have social anxiety disorder which in part makes me nervous to have strangers watch me do things....um yeah that is exactly what showing in obedience is all about. LOL But I also LOVE the thrill, the excitement and the chance to show off what Falkor and I have learned.

I am usually a total nervous wreck in the ring but I am trying to work on some calming techniques for myself. We'll see if they pay off at this trial.

The Friday and Saturday trial at the Varied Industries building will be interesting because that building is big, loud and very distracting. The trial on Monday will be at our training building which is great.

I can't wait and hopefully I won't throw up or pee my pants. :)

Having so much fun!

I've been trying to really put forth a consistent effort in training Falkor at least a few minutes each day. It's not difficult to find five minutes here and there but it seems like some days just fly by and I when I look at the clock it's almost bedtime! I've started an informal training journal in hopes that actually writing things down will help me stay on track.

Currently are taking beginners agility out at Seelah on Tuesday nights. We had our first class this past Tuesday and it was great. I have some homemade agility equipment that we can work on at home but I love taking doggy classes. We aren't doing any real jumping yet since Falkor is still growing but we are working on contact training, channel weaves, and directionals on the ground. I was really happy with how gung-ho Falkor was about the channel weaves right from the start! It is so much fun to train a dog that is up for ANYTHING and is so enthusiastic and happy...even when *I* fumble. :)

We'll be starting our second round of advanced obedience classes on August 29th. The classes focus a great deal on Rally which is good since I think we'll be entering some Rally trials in September.

Finally we have also started some REALLY beginners tracking which has been great fun as well.

I am also going to start video taping some of our training sessons so I can see mistakes that I am making. I have a really hard time with footwork and my body language so I know watching the videotapes will be a big help.

Oy it is HOOOOOOT here today. I think we are going to try to find some nice cool water to swim in!

Please vote for Falkor!!!

Last weekend I entered Falkor in a casting call of sorts to be a cover dog on the promotional materials for a great local pet expo we have here on an annual basis called the Great Iowa Pet Expo. There are 25 dogs entered and Falkor would love to represent the amazing Great Dane and be on the cover! The winning dog will be the model on the cover of the Great Iowa Pet Expo program and featured in Welcome Home Des Moines magazine.

Falkor had a blast at the casting call and made many quick friends and fans. Unfortunately, the photo they put up on the website is not great AND they spelled his name wrong (LOL), but you can still clearly see how cute he is. ;) The voting will be open until August 19th and I believe you can vote as many times as you want.

Here is the website where you can vote:

http://www.greatiowapetexpo.com/coverdog.html

His pic is the 6th from the bottom and they have his name listed at Valcor instead of Falkor. LOL

Thank you all SO much and Falkor sends his love along with big Dane kisses!!

Whheeeeee Recall!!!

Falkor has always had a very, very...did I mention VERY... enthusiastic recall, which makes me really happy. I love seeing his big smiley face racing toward me. We have to work on him being able to put his brakes on and front without bumping me or blowing past me. We are in advance obedience class now and last week during our recalls Falkor got the SUPER zoomies and flew around the ring like a crazy man. I have never seen zoomies like that before...they were so impressive that everyone in the training club building (3 rings of people!!) stopped to watch. :) It was the only the 2nd time he ever had the zoomies in the building and we've been training there since he was 8 weeks old...so I suppose he had to make them extra impressive. I admit it was quite funny to watch.

I tried to snap a few pics of Falkor doing a recall last night in the backyard. I used the "action" button on my camera but they still are blurry. But that facial expression on the first pic is priceless.

Love this dog!

Growing up ...but still such a puppy!

When I look at Falkor now I catch glimpses of a real grown up dog. Especially when looking at that big ol' head. But then I'll see him flail around with spaghetti legs and it's still so obvious that he's such a baby yet. It's so funny to watch a giant dog mature because their body is so far ahead of their brain. We just got back from a trip to visit family in Michigan and Falkor did AMAZING during the trip. It was a 12 hour drive and he literally slept the entire time unless we were stopped. We made lots of stops so he and Jackson could stretch their legs and run around a bit. He loved all the attention he got at the rest stops.

They have a fantastic outdoor mall called Partridge Creek about 5 miutes from my Mom's house. Dogs are welcome in all the outdoor areas of the mall and a good marjority of the stores allow you to bring your dog in! It was such a blast walking around with Falkor in Macy's, Forever 21, Sur La Table, etc. And seeing people's reactions is even more fun. Anyone with a Dane knows that people always have questions about them and want to know things like how much they eat and if they live in the house. Hehe Falkor even had some people that wanted to take pics of them with their cell phones. I SO wish we had something like Partridge Creek in Iowa. Poor

Falkor was a total weenie boy when I would leave him at my Mom's while we were there. It was actually surprised because he knows my Mom and he doesn't worry when I leave him home. So we have some separation anxiety stuff to work on. I plan to start working on kenneling him at the obedience club so he can get used to that, espcially since I plan on doing obedience and agility someday. He has to be comfortable with me crating him and not being right by his side.

Great Danes are fun to color!

I got Jackson some window crayons this weekend and they are really fun. They write nice and bright on glass....and on Great Dane's. And they must taste pretty good too because Falkor kept trying to lick Jackson's drawings off of the glass. :)

My Baby's First Birthday!

It was Falkor's 1st birthday yesterday and I can hardly believe it. It feels like we just went to pick him up and yet I also feel like he's been a part of our family forever. He has fit in SO well and continues to be a joy for all of us. I could gush about him all day long. :)

We had a little party for him yesterday complete with birthday hats, a hamburger birthday cake, presents, and a toddler lead version of "Happy Birthday". Jackson was so excited about Falkor's birthday and picked out the hats as well as Falkor's favorite present...a squeaky tennis ball with flaps on it.

Falkor LOVED his cake and had a blast playing with his new toys.

Happy, Happy 1st Woofday to all the Dragon's Lair babies!!

Tiny Little Lap Dog

Falkor is a big cuddle puppy. He truly has NO idea of his size and he thinks he's a tiny, little lap dog. We were tagged by the PR Gang to share with everyone where our Dane baby sleeps. Honestly it's not easy to get pics of Falkor sleeping because he is a very active boy. Here is a pic of itty bitty baby Falkor sleeping with his brothers and sisters. :)

And here is a recent pic of Falkor trying to catch some zzzz's with his Daddy. :) Yes he is indeed very neglected.

I Wuv Bubbles!!

Falkor thinks that bubbles are just fantastic! He love to jump up and catch them and jump on the ones on the ground with his front feet. Jackson was not a happy camper that Falkor was catching off his bubbles....it helps that Falkor can jump nearly five feet off the ground!

Warmer Weather

I think that spring may *FINALLY* be here! Although I'm afraid to say to say it out loud. I look some pics of Falkor with the sun starting to set and the light looked so pretty on his coat.

We started an Intermediate Obedience class a few weeks ago and Falkor is totally loving it. We are having a great time together and I think we are a good team.

Falkor Graduates!

I am so proud of my baby boy! We graduated from beginners obedience class tonight and Falkor did AWESOME. He was one of the younger dogs in the class and he was such a rock star. He completely turns on in class and it's so much fun. I'm impressed at his ability to focus on me with all the distractions of a busy class. Of course it does help that he would stand on his head for food. :)

Falkor's recall was so much fun to watch. He would take off like a rocket and his lips and ears would be flyin' in the wind. Everyone enjoyed watching Falkor's recalls. So much fun!

We are signing up for the next class tomorrow night. I have so much fun in classes with my big boy and look foward to our class each week.

Here is a pic of Falkor and me and a pic of us with our awesome instructor Ryan.

My BIG baby puppy

It is SO hard to believe that Falkor is 8.5 months old already. The time is flying and it's hard to remember that he IS still a puppy even though he's huge. We are in our beginners obedience class and Falkor is doing great! He loves it and just thrives on learning. I feel so fortunate to have a pup with so much potential. I still feel like such a newbie trainer but I think Falkor and I will teach each other a great deal.

We did restrained recalls last night in class and the everyone in the building stopped to watch Falkor because he runs FULL tilt...ears & lips flapping...and then stops right in front of me. It's way too cute. I hope to get one of my buddies to take some pics of Falkor's recall next week.

Here are a few pics I snapped today. My big sweet love puppy.

"Who Me???? Umm you can't prove it!!"

I came downstairs the other day to find the entire living room floor covered in gel shaving cream. Jackson is rushing around saying "WHOA Mumma lookit this mess!". Honestly I thought he had done it because the gel shaving cream was sprayed in nearly perfect lines in places. I was about to ask Jackson what happened until.....Falkor walks into the room with shaving cream all over his muzzle and up and down his front legs. LOL!!! Busted! I wish I would have snapped a pic of the floor before we cleaned it up but I was too worried about cleaning it up. But I did snap one pic of Falkor will the evidence on his face. :)