Boarded!

I was out of town for a wedding this weekend, and just about anyone who could have watched Cohen was out of town with me. So we boarded her.

As I've said before (a lot), Cohen is not an easy dog. She's rambunctious, loud, and has a history of guarding food and toys from other dogs. While talking with the woman who was boarding her, I stressed this... a lot. I wanted to make sure that she knew what she was getting in to before she was stuck with my dog while I was out of the city for five days. Better safe than sorry and all that.

Well, it turns out apparently I was worried over nothing.

I got Cohen back this morning. Apparently she did really well. She was fine with all the other dogs, large and small alike. Apparently her barking was under control. And most noteworthy to me, there were no reports of guarding (all food and toys were carefully controlled). The only vague negative was that Cohen could "get a bit silly"... your guess is as good as mine as for what that might mean. All in all, it was a success.

All this gives me hope that Cohen and Chihuahua-Megatron will coexist peacefully when Adrian and I finally move in. Of course this won't completely stop my worrying, but it'll lessen it. At least for a little while.

Goals for 2011

Entering into 2011, Cohen is 15 months old and is starting to come into her own. Last year served as both of our first introductions into competitive dog things, and, well, I'm hooked (I can only assume she enjoys it too).

She successfully earned her CGN and RN, but then I stalled and lost momentum. I put off advancing her Rally title in the hope of getting professional lessons. As time goes on it becomes evident that Rally just isn't as popular here as I would like, and people willing to pay for lessons are few and far between. All classes I'd signed up for were cancelled. So it's evident that I can't sit around waiting for a class to happen. I've got to step it up and get the training done myself. (Oh, how tedious...)

Cohen's agility abilities are progressing nicely. She'll never be a speed demon, but I think she'll grow to be enthusiastic enough (and reliable enough) to put on a decent show in trials. The next step in her (our) training is to focus on my handling skills -- that's the real challenge. Cohen is a great student. I fear I won't prove to be as adept at learning.

I have a job on the horizon working as a part time training assistant at my favourite dog training facility, which is fantastic. Not only does it afford me opportunity to learn under some formidable trainers, but to advance my relationship with Cohen. Not to mention, free classes. I've had to hold myself back in signing up for absolutely everything right off the bat, as I do have a life outside of my dog. (Though sometimes I wonder.)

With all the free classes I want, I figure I'll end up having taken all of them pretty soon. Clearly the only way to continue to take advantage of this perk is to get another dog to take to classes. Clearly.

So, goals for 2011:

Earn Cohen her RA.

Earn Cohen her NA (and maybe NAJ).

Work on her continued reactivity to large black dogs.

Earn Cohen her CD.