Texas Trip

Stephen wants everyone to know he took this photo. Thanks, Snookums. 

Last week, we traveled 14 hours to Texas to hang with our friends, Kelly and John (Maddie's breeders), and to compete in a three-day agility trial.

On the first day, we headed to Kelly and John's greyhound farm. We got to see a few litters of greyhound puppies at different ages. They were super cute! We saw Maddie's siblings.  I had seen Maddie's brothers, Sam and Jack, a couple of times in the last year or two, but not her sister, Tia. I should have taken a picture of her, but had forgotten my camera.  Lets just say that Tia is the short, big boned sister. Ha! Maddie and she are complete opposites. We got to see Maddie's parents, Cleopatra and Guliver. They both are doing well.

Cleopatra, Guliver, and Maddie

On Thursday morning we got to see them school the young dogs on the training track. John's goal is for the dogs to have a super positive experience and to really feel confident about what they are doing.  They school on Mondays and Thursdays. He keeps track of their times so he can evenly match dogs the next time out. Matching a slower dog with a fast dog does nothing to build the confidence and speed of the slower dog so he pairs them with other slow dogs so they each have a chance to win the race to the lure and be successful. Positive reinforcement is the name of the game.

After schooling, my girls got to play a little on the track. Riley was especially cute! Even though there was no lure, she took off around one turn before heading back.  She loves sand under her feet. Seven sprinted back and forth between Stephen and I. She was all business as usual.  Stephen and I took turns having Maddie chase us down on the long side. She had a blast!

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we competed at an agility trial near Austin, Texas. It was fun to compete somewhere new and where no other greyhounds run. The girls ran well and received lots of wonderful compliments. We even met one blog follower which was really fun!

I will post the videos of their runs in the next few posts.

Fun Run

Last weekend, Southeastern Greyhound Club hosted the ASFA National Greyhound Specialty for lure coursing.  The event was held on an 8,000 acre, three-day eventing horse farm in Georgia.  The place is gorgeous and the fields are very well maintained.  

I do not lure course, but I love to watch when there is a good greyhound turn out expected and to see good friends.  But the best part is escaping the event and exploring other areas of this huge farm.

Just look how huge this field is!  So much fun when you have greyhounds that come when called.

Eeeek! Is my little puppy really that big already?  In some photos, Maddie looks as big as Seven and Riley, but I promise that she is not.  Way too early for that!  

See!  Still about 15 pounds smaller and she will likely be 10 - 15 pounds bigger than them.  Seven and Riley are very small greyhounds (50 pounds).

 Seven and Riley are so pretty running together.

 Look! Synchronized Galloping.

 Happy frolicking greyhounds.

BAAM! Hey watch it there!

 Riley and Seven play very rough so everyone took turns off leash.  Maddie thinks it is a good idea to take off running and encouraging a chase.  And chase they will..... along with tagging and tackling her.  Maybe Maddie will be ready for them in a few more months.

 It is funny that Seven is showing teeth in these photos and Riley looks so innocent.  I can assure you that Riley is quite the bully.  She bumps, pummels, and interferes with everyone running.  And never offers to be the chasee.

Riley always looks so happy though.  She is definitely the content one.

 And the shot of the day!  Look at that stretch on Seven!

Play Day

I took last Friday off from work and headed down to "the farm" for some fun and to hang out with my sister (thanks for letting me play, John and Laura).  The weather could not have been more perfect.  Georgia does not have brutal winters, but we normally have lower temperatures by now (the camera would have preferred more sun for the action shots).

Look at that healed left hock!

Riley had not been free to play at "the farm" since July so it was good to see her open up and to snap some photos of her running.

Riley is definitely the bully in our pack.  She plays very rough and demands that the others run so she can chase and catch them... no one else seems to enjoy this game very much... especially Reagan who is often the target.  However, Seven holds her own and does not wilt under Riley's pressure.  In fact, Seven can dish it right back to her with a paw or two on Riley's back.  Notice who is focused on the ball and who is focused on the other greyhound.

Seven says "Take that!"

Then I decided to pose the girls on this log.

"Riley, do you think you could open your eyes and close your mouth?"

"Seven, you look gorgeous with your bright eyes and perfect ears.  You are always so good at posing for pictures."

"Bitch. Always sucking up to Mom, aren't you?"

And I got to ride Toby (thanks, Laura).  He is super nice!  I started riding when I was a kid and had my own horses when I was a teenager and in college.  I always feel so rusty, but I still remember a few things.

Thanks for the ride, Toby!

Recalls

Recently, we visited with my sister and played at my friend's 60 acre horse farm.  It is an excellent safe place to really test out recalls.  I wanted to demonstrate how good I expect my recalls to be.  If my recalls are not this good, I do not give mine any unleashed freedom.  We practice recalls on leash, on long lines, fenced areas, and larger fenced areas before we ever venture out into a less secure area.  I also require that mine respond promptly even if we see people and/or other dogs.  They also cannot lose their minds chasing a squirrel up a tree.  I do not mind squirrel chasing, but they then have to come right away if I call.

This is Seven about to turn three years old with 8 months of training. 

The last recall reminds me that it would be a very good idea to train a recall to a whistle.  A whistle could be heard at a farther distance.  I believe Seven simply did not hear my first call.

Here is another video of Seven working on recalls.

Frolic Fun

Last weekend, the hounds and I headed for "the farm".  I did not have any good photos of Seven running... well I do now!  The photo above was clearly the "Shot of the Day".  While I tossed a toy, my sister, Denise, took pictures.

In some of the photos, Seven looks wet because she just had a bath. 

Occasionally at agility trials, the photographer will capture me running alongside my dog and more often than not I appear awkward and weird looking.  Well, greyhounds do not always appear graceful and beautiful either.  Here are some of the funny shots.

 Riley was not the best subject, but Denise captured a few interesting shots.

We also got to meet this precious fellow.  Interestingly, that is his surrogate mother.  She carried him, gave birth to him, and is raising him, but they are not biologically related.  The mare the owner was trying to breed would not get pregnant so this was Plan B.  If I remember correctly, he is a Dutch Warmblood.

And I even rode.  I used to ride until I got out of college and dog agility stole me away.  No need to pick on my equitation.  I can see what I am doing wrong.  I am just very rusty and had not ridden in a year.

Maria, my arms look good, don't they? :-)