Since I have a lot of “jobs” (shop greeter, artist, guard dog, farm dog, sidekick, super hero….) sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a few extra curricular activities at the end of the day. One of my favorites right now is agility class.
I still have a lot of training to do before I’m ready to compete, but right now I’m just having a lot of fun! Just see for yourself….
P.S. I like Tunnels about as much as this boy likes Turtles. 🙂
I was such a good boy at my Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog Test on Sunday that Mom made me an extra special treat when I got home.
You might remember the Polka Dog Bakery DIY Sweet Potato Dog Cookie Recipe I posted about a few weeks ago – well Mom decided to make me some as a reward for all my hard work!
First Mom sliced up some sweet potatoes for me.
Then we let them soak in a bowl of chicken broth for about 1/2 hour.
While they soaked I sat on my bed in the kitchen just counting the minutes until they would be ready. It was a whole lot of minutes.
Then after baking them for 15 minutes at 400 Degrees I had to wait a whole bunch more minutes for them to cool.
Finally my good dog treats were ready for their taste test!
Of course wouldn’t you know that mom made me practice my leave it command before I was allowed to eat them!
In the end it was worth the wait, because they were yum! Perhaps I should be a good boy all the time.
You can find the entire recipe for DIY Healthy Sweet Potato Dog Cookies HERE. 
If you follow along with my adventures on Facebook, then you probably already heard that on Sunday I became a Certified Therapy Dog! Yippee!
For the past 6 weeks I have been taking classes at the Dog Training Center of Chester County to prepare to take my Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests. One of my goals this year was to pass both tests and my Mom was super happy when I did so on my very first try!
As you can see in my testing video I was SUPER excited to be performing. What can I say, I’m just an overly happy guy! I may have forgotten a bit of my heeling a few times, but I was just so pumped to be meeting new people.
One of the hardest parts of the Therapy Dog test is to walk past a pile of cookies and not eat them! Do you know how hard that is when your nose is 2″ off the ground!? I was very tempted to eat those cookies when I walked by them in the beginning of my test, but when my Mom said leave it I happily obliged and didn’t eat a single one. (Phew, close call, because mom said I would have failed had I eaten one).
Even though I’ve passed my tests, my training will never be done. Mom and I continue to take agility classes and I know I’ll never stop learning and improving. I’m excited to see what comes next for me – I just hope that for any future tests they let me wear my Super Hero Cape – because we all know I look WAY cooler with my cape on!
If you would like to check out all the requirements to pass a CGC and TDI test, you can check it out here.
P.S. Thanks to all my pals on my Facebook page who congratulated me on passing my tests, you guys totally make me blush!
You might remember my neighbor, Harley, you know the sweet girl next door aka the Rottweiler I torment through the fence on a daily basis.
Whenever I see Harley outside we run up and down our shared fence line playing. Harley tries her hardest to keep up with my fierce speed while I bark my head off at her to catch up.
Then on the lucky days Harley actually gets to come over and wrestle with me.
At 6 months old Harley is just a lovable giant – and she may dominate our wrestling matches with her sheer size…..
….but she certainly can’t match my warp speed!
How else do you think I keep my fit looking physique?
Sometimes the quiet times with Harley can be just as fun though.
I won’t lie, we’ve been known to give each other the goggly eyes once in a while.
Harley even gave me a sweet lick on the eyeball the other day. *wink*
To which I responded….GROSS…..GIRL COOTIES!
See that look on my face, that’s the look of a tough as nails bounty deer hunter.
A few days ago there was an intrusion in my backyard, and although I may not “shoot to kill”, I still pack a lot of Ammo.
And by Ammo I mean lungs of steel! That deer didn’t stand a chance.
I definitely showed that deer who’s boss!
And afterwards I had a little swagger to my step. Ok, well maybe it was more of a hop & skip – but you get the idea.Â
On the weekends when I’m at home I like to spend a lot of my time outdoors, especially in the summer.
In the past it had always been a real drag when I had to come inside to do my facebooking and blogging though.
But with the addition of my new outdoor sofa, I now have everything I need to get some work done in the great outdoors.
I can survey my yard AND update my Facebook page at the same time! How glorious!
I can’t help but smile to myself when writing about all the adventures I had over the past week.
I even chuckle at all the things I have done in the past, like when Trooper and I had an Epic Jedi Battle, or when I dug a Super Weenie Hideout Cave, or even when I trained Trooper to be a Super Dog. Oh what wonderful adventures I have had!
Don’t worry though, I foresee many many more adventures in my future – coming right at you from the comfort of my sofa in the great outdoors!Â
This past weekend was a hot one, so to beat the heat I headed over to my MomMom & PopPop’s house to take a dip in the pool.
Floating around the pool on my raft can be quite enjoyable when the temperatures reach near 90F.
I dubbed myself Captain Ammo and invited my cousins to come play with me aboard my ship flotation device!
My cousin Chase volunteered to be first mate and we embarked on a wild adventure at sea pool.
Chase and I discussed where we thought the buried treasure might be – and we both agreed that it must be under the sea pool.
Our plans to rescue said treasure were foiled though when we realized that I forgot to pack my floaties. AAARRRGH!
Don’t worry though, Mom signed me up for swim lessons so our next adventure will be sure to lead us to gold and riches.Â
Over the weekend mom and I had some fun with a little DIY project. I like to keep up with all the fashion trends, so I told mom I needed a stylish new Ombre Bandana for the summer! Ombre is new it thing, incase you didn’t know.
So here’s my super fun tutorial for a…
DIY OMBRE PET BANDANA
Supplies Needed:
Step 1: If you are using a piece of fabric vs. a pre-made bandana (sold at most craft stores, but better sized for a large dog), cut your fabric into a triangular shape that will fit your dog’s neck. Mom measured my neck then added 4″ to each side on the top to make room to tie it. Ex: my neck measured 12″ so we added 8″ total making the top measurement 20″ wide.
Step 2: Mix your dye as per the directions on the box. As a rule always add a little less water to your bucket – you can always add more water to dilute it later.
Step 3: Attach your bandana to the hanger.
Step 4: Dip the bandana 3/4 into the dye for about 5 seconds, then remove. Try to keep the bandana as level as possible when dipping into the dye.
Step 5: Next dip your bandana 1/2 way into the dye for 20 seconds.
Step 6: Remove the Bandana another 1/4 out of the dye so that just 1/4 remains in the dye. Leave it there for another 2 – 3 minutes. *you may have to experiment with dye times based on the type of fabric you are using and how quickly it soaks up the dye.
Remove from the dye and hang until dry.
The waiting is the hardest part!
When your bandana is dry you will have a stylish new accessory perfect for the summer! Yay!
Of course I had to break mine in by rolling in the stinkiest dead animal smell I could find. It was glorious!
When Mom and Dad brought home a whole slew of boxes from their trip to Ikea over the weekend I just knew it was gonna be a great day! So we set out Sunday morning to put everything together so I could find out what wonderful goodies they had bought me.
I was extremely involved in the entire process – helping mom decipher the instructions and gathering tools.
Ok fine, that’s not really how it happened….
…but I was really tired, and it was hot, and I have these cumbersome paws. Don’t judge.
When it was finally built (thanks mom!) I was through the roof excited that the Ikea Boxes had provided a brand-new outdoor throne for me!
I have so much more room for activities now!
The new outdoor throne is definitely a huge upgrade from the rock hard stone bench I had before.
So thanks Mom and Dad, and Ikea, for giving me a spiffy new place to guard my backyard from. And yes mom, I’ll try to remember to wipe my feet first.Â
On Tuesday evenings I attend two dog training classes. First I make my way to class at the Dog Training Center of Chester County where I’m learning to be a Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog. Then it’s off to Wagsworth Manor where I’m in the Intermediate Agility Class.
This week there was a big storm rolling in when mom and I pulled up to Wagsworth Manor, so instead of running around outside like normal we headed inside. I was kind of unsure about the whole situation, considering there was thunder and lightning, strange barking dogs, and a whole new environment to contend with. But soon I was put to ease, because my dad was waiting there to watch me get my Agility on!
Mom says I have to work on paying attention better, even when there are distractions, but how can you not be excited when your Dad comes to watch!?Â