• 26Aug

  Celebrating National Dog Day

  Inspirational No Comments

  It’s National Dog Day!  Celebrate the day with your dog and all dogs that love their humans.  Give your buddy his favorite treat for free, and let him run a course of JUST his favorites today, like tunnels- they deserve it!

  We’re on Facebook!  Go here and ‘like’ us for a chance to win an Agility in a Bag! Stick around and share with us about your dog, too, we’d love to see pictures and hear stories. Keep an eye out for Facebook only specials and content, too!

  He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
  – Author Unknown

  
  

  

  Tags: dog fame, Inspirational

• 11Aug

  A Purposeful Life

  Inspirational No Comments

  There’s a lot of talk about dogs that need purpose. People need purpose, everyone knows that. Without it, it leads to massive societal problems, depression, and many other negative things.

  If you have a dog without purpose, you have an unhappy dog. The purpose can be as small as following you through the house and making sure you’re all right (not as a service dog, but as a companion), guarding the house, or as big as being a service dog, an agility competitor, or a fulltime guardian of sheep or other livestock.

  Dogs aren’t as complex as humans. To them, work is work (even if it’s just sitting when asked), and work means they’re useful, which in turn means they’re wanted and needed by their human. Think of it this way- if someone never let you do anything, how would you feel? ‘No, go play, I can do the dishes.’ ‘No, go lie down, I can vacuum.’ For everything. I would love it at first, I admit it! But after a while I think I would become depressed to the point of despondency. What worth would I have?

  When a dog has a job and a purpose, they carry themselves differently. They attack life with a rigor and listen for more instruction eagerly. Giving your dog purpose is giving them a better life, and that’s something we all strive to do.

  

  Tags: Inspirational

• 02Aug

  August Contest: Assistant Dogs

  Dog Training (General), Inspirational, Monthly Contests 19 Comments

  Assistance Dog Week is this month (8-14).

  Does your dog do any assistance, therapy work, or work as a service animal? (official or unofficial). Tell us about your dog- or your favorite assistant dog. What do they do? What special training did they need to have? Do you have to wear a vest?

  You could win a leather leash tab! Super snazzy and very versatile, they’re my favorite leash tab!

  The winner will be chosen via random number generator on or around September 1st, and announced/emailed on or around the same.

  How to enter this contest:

  If you have never done so before, you must first register your email address on this blog.  We will then notify you if you are a winner of this contest.  You only need to do this once, and you will be good for all future monthly contests (and get priority notification of when they occur)!

  Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your comment/answer.  Or, if there is no box, click on the “comments” in the upper right corner.

  

  Tags: dog fame, dog safety & health, Inspirational

• 21Jul

  Overwhelming Obstacles

  Inspirational No Comments

  Many obstacles in life look overwhelming. Many of them are overwhelming if looked at as a whole, and so often we just back away from them because, well… it’s too big! It’s too hard! There’s no way we can do it!

  Our dogs see some obstacles this way as well. Too big an A-frame, the tunnel is too long, the pause table is too high and I have to sit too still and I just can’t do that.

  Take the obstacle apart, for you, and your dog. Make it smaller, change the angle, or break up the steps. For you- don’t try to clean the garage all in one day if it’s piled high in rubbish. Break it down into sections and take one a day. For your dog, start it low, start it slow, and build towards the finish. It’s easier to start slowly than to go too quickly and end with a behavior you didn’t want.

  Nothing’s too big, too long, or too hard if you’re willing to take it easy and keep at it! Your dog will go with you, and between the two of you…

  There’s not a whole lot you can’t accomplish.

  

  Tags: dog training, Inspirational

• 01Jul

  July Contest

  Monthly Contests 41 Comments

  What a great contest we had last month! Thank you all for participating!

  This month you can win a set of 101 Things to Do with Contacts cards! Awesome!!

  Just share the best thing you’ve learned in Agility, whether it was in classes, from reading, or just working out back with your own obstacles! Was it handling? About yourself? Your dog? How was your learning curve? Tell us in the comments!

  The winner will be chosen via random number generator on or around August 1st, and announced/emailed on or around the same.

  How to enter this contest:

  If you have never done so before, you must first register your email address on this blog.  We will then notify you if you are a winner of this contest.  You only need to do this once, and you will be good for all future monthly contests (and get priority notification of when they occur)!

  Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your comment/answer.  Or, if there is no box, click on the “comments” in the upper right corner.

  

  Tags: agility games/classes, agility training, Inspirational

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