Our Summer

Have not posted much lately. I really feel like I am just repeating myself. In June, we have our first Boxer specialty show and then 1 day of all-breed shows. This was my first experience with the "big" handlers. It was something to see, in good ways and bad. But, it was at that show that I made the decision to let Jack have the summer off. He is just not in a place where he is ready to win yet. We just got back up to see Sasha, our movement therapist, and we can now start some better strengthening exercises since Jack is older. He is getting better and stronger. And, after working with Ashley (Sasha's sister), we are starting to address some of our issues in the ring. He has these wonderful flashes where he looks like the show dog I know that he is, but he also has times where he still just looks like a puppy. I need to respect and nurture both of those aspects of him.

We went up to Buckhorn yesterday and had a great time just watching and helping out some fellow Colorado Boxer Club Members. It was so much fun to just watch. There was a part of me that wished I had entered Jack. But, I know it was best to let him sit these shows out.

So, we are shooting for Greeley Kennel Club in August. For now, our goals are to put some weight on Jack and just having fun with my gorgeous pup.

But, I also have figured out that I have crossed over the line to the crazy dog lady - see the below picture....but, it is all to help out Jack. Sasha and I had a good laugh yesterday when I told her about people's expressions when they saw us outside for the fist time on Thursday with my boy all wrapped up like a present. Gotta do what you gotta do....

Laramie - 2010

Jack is glad to be home! Yesterday, Jack took 1st place in his class - we were so surprised and proud of him! It was a huge win for us personally! We learned so much this weekend and have identified a few key things that need to be fixed with Jack. I think we are going to have a few private lessons from a trainer who can help us fix the position of his head (our main issue right now). It is all the little technical aspects that makes this very tough. I feel like I finally get one thing fixed to only have 2 more things pop up. But, we are not going to give up and will do whatever it takes to improve and keep on going. Being an owner handler is very tough.....but, I do love being in the ring with Jack and will keep on doing it. I know that I will eventually have to have a professional handler to help me finish him, but since this is something that I want to do for a long time, better learn how to properly handle dogs now. It is my hope in the future to be able to handle other people's Boxers as well in the ring.

A huge thanks again to Pat who has given me amazing advice and encouragement and always tells me the truth, even if it is not what I want to hear. She really was an amazing support this weekend and I am truly appreciative and grateful for everything you are helping me with.

Central Wyoming Kennel Club 2010 - Friday

Okay, so if this is going to be a realistic blog on our experience, I need to put down what I am feeling. Now, we have been doing the extra training/therapy, changed Jack's food and put him on a supplement. He is looking great and we have seen some great changes in how he looks. So, day #1 in the CWKC show and I am already sounding like a broken record. There was another dog in our class a few weeks younger than Jack, but he was bigger, not better or worse, just a different dog. But, we took 2nd. My head knows that I am just showing him too early and that this is just for practice and that I should not expect Jack to even beginning winning until he is at least 2. But, my heart likes to believe that maybe we have a shot at winning even though the odds are against us. I feel like I am out-handled by everyone.....I have not come up against another less-experienced handler yet (that I could tell). I am still training every week and trying my best. I am frustrated and it is taking everything that I have to go back tomorrow. But, luckily, tomorrow is a different day and different judge who will be looking for possibly something different. Also, tomorrow an AKC professional handler is going to take Jack into his 12-18 month class only so that I can have the opportunity to see what he looks like in the ring (thanks Pat for setting that up - you are amazing!) I will handle in the Winner's Dog round if we make it that far.

So, here is what I have going:

HEAD
* He is young
* Needs to grow some more
* This is all just practice until he is 2
* Less-experienced handler
* Practice makes perfect

HEART
* He is the most handsome dog out there
* He could win, right
* I am tired of losing...nope, that is it, just tired of losing

But, like I said, tomorrow is a new day and a new judge and I will go in with my head up and a smile on my face and see what that show holds.

Our Therapy Visit

On Tuesday, we took Jack up to Fort Collins to have the biomechanical assessment done. It was amazing!!! Sasha took a video of him and assessed his back to make sure it was not a skeletal problem (it is not). His roaching could be due to just growing, but we are not going to chance it. He also is not driving off his back legs as much as she would like to see - all related to core strength. So, we have 2 core exercises and 1 core stretch to do daily with Jack - starting off at the beginning. He is not liking the "sit ups" and looks the other way and pretends that we are not there, so hopefully that will improve. I will let her know in a week how we are doing and will go back up in either 2 or 4 weeks to be reevaluated and get some new exercises for him. Now, if we can just get him to do his sit ups......

Terry-All Kennel Club, 04/10/2010 and 04/11/2010

Terry-All, Adams County Regional Park --I was not really looking forward to this set of shows. On the bright side, Jack is having a growth spurt - so he is growing (yeah!). But, on the down side, he is like a teenager where none of his parts really fit right now. So, our goal was to just have fun, which I think we were very successful at. The judge on Sunday even commented on what a great time it looked like Jack was having and that was the most important thing at his age.

We participated in the "B" match on Friday. Jack, being the only Boxer there, advanced into the working group round and took 3rd!!!

For our actual shows, we were the only Boxer entered in the 12-18 month dog class, so we did get first both days (the judge did not actually have to award us the ribbon at all - so we will take it). But, that is as far as we got. But, cannot win Winners Dog if you do not enter and play with the big boys. At least we got to go into the ring twice.

Some great mentors (thanks Pat and Butch!) gave me some amazing advice with Jack and some things that need to be fixed. Jack is rounding up his back ("roaching") when we are gaiting, so I think we are going to look into having a biomechanical movement analysis done so that we can get some exercises to help this out. Or, it could just be a weird growth thing that will go away on its own, but not really that patient to wait that out as a what if.

But, some thoughts on this whole thing after doing it 6 months: It is so much harder than it looks. The technical aspects and the little things are very tough to learn and put into practice. It is frustrating with a steep learning curve and I have to laugh that I am seriously going to put my dog into a therapy program to help with his top line. To anyone outside this sport, I am sure that sounds crazy that I would do that. But, it is all in search of that purple ribbon. I am still waiting......I will make sure that one day Jack will be the one people will hate to see walk into a show because they know he is going to be the one that wins. It may take a little longer since I am new handler, but even the great handlers had to start somewhere, so time to work on fine tuning and get back out there for our next shows.

Plus - attended my second Boxer Club of Colorado meeting today - now I can officially apply to join.


Below: Match - Adult Working Group



Below: Winners Dog Competition

Life Is Tough

We have been taking it easy since the shows last month and just needed to show the down times too. We are excited about the Terry All Shows next weekend! Check back to see how we do!

Rocky Mountain Cluster 2010

5 shows in 5 days....we made it! Going into these shows, we had been told that they are tough and not to expect too much....but we had no idea what we were in store for. I secretly had visions of taking this show by storm and surprising everyone with just how amazing Jack is. Well......that is not quite how it played out. There were about 15-25 Boxers there daily - and they were all amazing dogs!!!! Jack, since he just turned a year old last week, is now in the 12-18 month puppy class. The other dog in our 12-18 month class was just bigger than Jack and more developed - as he should be since he is almost 6 months older. Also, most of the handlers there have been handling dogs 15-20 years - so I really was a very small fish in a very, very large pond (maybe the ocean). I just tried to make sure that Jack had fun and that this was a great experience for him, which I think I was very successful at. Jack had so much fun and I was so proud of how well he did. An amazing thing happened on the last day - another handler asked if I would handle one of her dogs in the winner's dog competition if she ended up having 2 dogs to show (which she did not), but the fact she thought enough of my handling to trust me with her dog was just amazing and shows that I can do this.

I did learn so much these past 5 days.....some are lessons that are a little tough to swallow. I have learned that no matter how long that I do this, I will always lose more than I will win and that I am going to get lots of practice on losing gracefully and with class (not easy to do day after day after day). I learned that Jack needs to just grow some more so that he can really compete with the big boys and that right now these shows are really just practice. I learned that I am paying for the judges opinion and that no matter how hard I try I may never understand why certain decisions are made and should stop trying because I will drive myself crazy. I also learned some wonderful handling techniques and grooming tips, which I was able to put to use and see immediate results from.

I have tried to think of one word for what I would call this series of show, and I just cannot narrow it down to one, so here is my list: Exciting, scary, humbling, frustrating, confusing, amazing, fun, defeated, proud (of my gorgeous pup).

So, now time to take some time off, let my pup grow and look forward to our next shows in April. But, like I have said before, I got to leave with the best dog there - would not have it any other way.

Jack being checked out by the judge

Free stack

12-18 Month Class

Before our group

Last day...

Videos below