Sunday Playdate

Sunday morning was kinda cloudy, but I was my usual sunny self! Ms. Beth took Jackson and me to a park and told us that we would be meeting a new friend. Her name is JoJo and she is a 3 month old English Springer Spaniel. Ms. Beth explained that this was her first time to really come out and play with big, new doggies, so we needed to be gentlemen with her.

I got to meet JoJo first. She was a lot smaller than I. We sniffed and ran around a bit, and then....out came the tennis ball. After that, I could not be bothered with little JoJo, all I wanted was to retrieve her squeaky tennis ball!! It was so much fun :)

After JoJo seemed settled into watching me play with the tennis ball, Ms. Beth let Jackson come out to play too. JoJo liked Jackson. He was the biggest dog she's met so far. Jackson was just happy to be out playing with us young folks and showing off his obedience moves for JoJo and her owner. We were all very focused on Ms. Beth when she brought out the hotdog treats. In fact, that little JoJo, she caught on really fast. She would walk right up to Ms. Beth and sit down and wait for her hotdog!!

Ms. Beth started teaching her how to lie down on command, but she demanded multiple pieces of hotdog for that move. One piece was not enough. I swear, these women really know how to work it!!

Anyway, I'm ready looking forward to my next playdate with JoJo and her tennis ball :)

Handling Class

Well, last night was our second night of handling class with the Columbia Kennel Club. Ms. Beth has been practicing with me and that's been fun because I get to snack on hotdogs :) It's really not that hard for me.... just a lot of standing. Ms. Beth has a lot to think about: positioning my feet, asking me to stand still, watching the judge, asking me to stand still, holding me head up, asking me to trot along beside her... well, you get the picture. We received high praise from the instructors! Everyone commented that we had improved noticiably since last week. I am so proud of Ms. Beth and the fact that she finally got her act together!!

I wanna be a Palmettovore too!!

Ms. Beth has been so caught up with the Palmettovore Campaign at her job, that I am insisting that she let me be a Palmettovore too!! What is a Palmettovore? It is someone who tries to purchase and consume only South Carolina fresh produce and products. I am trying to convince Ms. Beth that this includes dog food!!!

June is Palmettovore Challenge month! I will keep you posted if Ms. Beth let's me participate in the challenge. I hope so! I am the State Dog of South Carolina afterall, and doggies like fresh, healthy, local food too :)

If you'd like to participate in the Palmettovore Challenge in June, please sign up at: http://www.palmettovore.org/

Gardening

Well, I had to fuss at Ms. Beth because she hasn't been blogging for me lately! We've been busy planting our vegetable garden. I am a big help to Ms. Beth! Everyday I walk around and inspect the veggie plants and she jumps up and down and yells at me!! It's so much fun :) I think she wants to chase me, but she falls to the ground and starts cooing and loving on those silly veggie plants. I just love taunting her like this :)

I also like chewing on her irrigation hose, chewing on flower pots and I even have a few bushes that I've trimmed for her :) She had no idea that she was getting a two for one deal with me! A new puppy AND a gardener :)

Tonight I start handling class with the Columbia Kennel Club. I am very excited! Ms. Beth has promised to give me hotdog treats if I do what she asks.... which will mostly be standing and letting her handle my feet so that I stand squarely. We will also get to trot around the ring. I think that will be the fun part :)

Hopefully I'll get her to take some pictures and blog about my handling classes, that way all of my fans can watch my progress. Until then, have a great day!

Shoes!!!

Well, last night was eventful! Because it was raining, we didn't go on a walk or anything. We just hung out and Ms. Beth decided to watch a movie. Those crazy setters Jackson and Madison, they zonked out, but not me! Nope, not me... I had too much energy!! I started sniffing around and getting all of toys out of the toybox and I found some new toys too!! I was chewing away, while everyone else was sleeping or watching a movie.

But..... Ms. Beth didn't like my favorite new toy. When she turned the lights on, there I was, happyily munching away through her one of her black leather shoes that she wore to work earlier. I had it in bits and pieces and I thought that she would LOVE the way that I'd spread them all over the floor. But, I was wrong. She said that I was NOT allowed to chew on shoes, that I should only chew on my cow hoof treats. So, I spent a little time in the kennel chewing on my cow hoof while she cleaned up the beautiful shoe pieces I created from her work heels.

Ms. Beth swears that she will never forget that I am puppy and leave her shoes out like that again. That's too bad. I really like her shoes :)

Sandhills

Last Thursday, Ms. Beth took Jackson and me out to the Clemson Sandhills REC facility. It's a beautiful, wide open space, and there are lots of walking trails out there too!! We met up with my friend Stitch, and we had the best time playing, running and jumping! Even Jackson was super excited !!!

A train went by while were playing, but I didn't even notice it! Ms. Beth was worried that it might scare me, but nothing could stop me and Stitch from all of fun we were having together! It's fun to play with the Setters at home, but sometimes I just really like to play with other dogs my size ;)

This weekend was a big training weekend, as it is just one week before the Greater Columbia Obedience Club (GCOC) trial on Mother's Day weekend. Jackson is competiting in 3 different classes, so Ms. Beth was working him a lot at the training building, along with lots of other people who came down for the "Paws on the Mat" event. She took me along too so that I could practice spending some time learning good "kennel manners" and learning to be by myself for short periods of time.

She has also started letting me learn the "sit", "down" and "follow" commands. I am really enjoying all of this learning stuff, because when I get it right, Ms. Beth gives me a hotdog treat!! YUMMY!!!!!

Jackson has his picture on the wall at the training building because he earned the "GCOC Rally Dog of the Year Award" in 2007. Jackson says that Rally is super fun and that Ms. Beth really likes it. I hope that I can be an awesome Rally dog just like Jackson :)