Dog Related Plans & Goals for 2024

[remy]

What are your plans and goals for the upcoming year?


These are my goals for Remy! 2024 will be my official start in the world of dog sports.

•Start trialing in rally and hopefully earn his RN (and maybe higher as well).

•Get started with scentwork training. I would like to trial in scentwork too if all goes well!

•Finally start showing! I am aiming for the end of April for our first show.

•Continue with FastCat. He really loved it! He will likely earn his DCAT by spring.

•He will earn his CGC in January or February. I’m sure he could have passed it already, but I decided to sign up for a class and the test is taken on the final day. I like attending the classes since it helps build focus with lots of distractions, plus the trainer is great at giving handling tips and noticing little things you could improve on.

•Get him back in the pool to work on his swimming. Hopefully he will start jumping as well! It should be warm enough by April for me to want to get into the pool with him lol. Not sure if he’ll be ready to compete this year, we’ll see.

 

[JanS]

I would like to title Elroy in conformation and show him myself for a better chance.
I would like to start both of them in scentwork and perhaps compete.

 

[LifeofRubie]

We've dabbled in a lot and I always found myself more invested than the dogs...

And it was a hard lesson to learn! You don't NEED to do EVERYTHING with your dog for them to be happy. Your goals might not be your dogs and that's totally OK

Edit: but if they do like something, focus on that thing!

 

[jazzies mum]

I plan to take Jazz with me for a lap of Australia! Both of us will enjoy this and we will be on the road for at least 6 months! My whole life is dog related!

 

[Ravenbird]

I love this thread! I find that having goals keeps me going and working on something. Even if we don't achieve the end goal (trial, title) at least we've worked together on things and that's the whole point!

I plan to take Jazz with me for a lap of Australia! Both of us will enjoy this and we will be on the road for at least 6 months!

Wowzers! Can't wait to follow along on that one! See? there are plans/goals that don't involve competition - I hope everyone understands that! We can all do things with our dogs, doesn't matter what!

*My goals are to finish my CD - two more legs to go on that. There's a trial in May close by that I plan to go to.
*I want to complete my Scent Work Excellent title - it takes 12 legs, 3 in each of 4 elements: containers, buried, interior & exterior. We have 9 more legs to go. It makes me so happy to see the interest in it here! Let's wake up the nose work threads!
*I want to teach the send-out with down, sharpen up my retrieve over jump and work on getting a long down without creeping and whining.

 

[remy]

I plan to take Jazz with me for a lap of Australia! Both of us will enjoy this and we will be on the road for at least 6 months! My whole life is dog related!

That is so awesome! Enjoy!

I love this thread! I find that having goals keeps me going and working on something. Even if we don't achieve the end goal (trial, title) at least we've worked together on things and that's the whole point!

Exactly this! I enjoy the training process, especially when you can look back and see how much you/the dog have improved!

*My goals are to finish my CD - two more legs to go on that. There's a trial in May close by that I plan to go to.

Good luck! I’m sure you guys will get it!

*I want to complete my Scent Work Excellent title - it takes 12 legs, 3 in each of 4 elements: containers, buried, interior & exterior. We have 9 more legs to go. It makes me so happy to see the interest in it here! Let's wake up the nose work threads!

I’m really interested in it! We haven’t done any “official” training for it yet, but Remy seems to really enjoy it.

 

[Katyusharocket]

I love this thread! I find that having goals keeps me going and working on something. Even if we don't achieve the end goal (trial, title) at least we've worked together on things and that's the whole point!

I completely agree @Ravenbird . Katyusha will test for CGCA this year and also be THD by the end of the year.

 

[Katyusharocket]

I plan to take Jazz with me for a lap of Australia! Both of us will enjoy this and we will be on the road for at least 6 months! My whole life is dog related!

I am jealous of your life and how Jazz centered it is! Make a thread of your lap please! This will be very cool to watch especially thru the lens of your new camera!

 

[JanS]

I always found myself more invested than the dogs...

And it was a hard lesson to learn! You don't NEED to do EVERYTHING with your dog for them to be happy. Your goals might not be your dogs and that's totally OK

Edit: but if they do like something, focus on that thing!

That's exactly right! Our trainer excels in rally master but she said she can tell the dog isn't into it and he's just doing it because she's asking him to so she pretty much backed off on it.

 

[Kswoodssue]

Hope to get Sasha consistent enough so that she can be with us in some of our vintage market booths.

 

[Ddski5]

This is a really good thread because if you say it…write it down cements it more.

I been thinking for a while now that I need to take Freyja more out into the public so she will be more at ease outside of our back yard.

Shit, I use to take Ragnar out every weekend for months. With Rag, it was a must to teach and maintain obedience. Freyja on the other hand is not as hard so I never really felt it was absolutely necessary to have consistent training with her- it just came easier.

Because of that, she is not as confident in busy public places. You can see how her demeanor changes.

I really noticed it yesterday when I took her to Tractor Supply. She just seems as she is more worried and concerned with the new environment- not necessarily withdrawn or timid but definitely see a change. So we bought feed, walked to the truck and loaded it up. As we were getting in the truck to drive home, I looked around and said- why don’t we just walk around this busy shopping center and do some training and have some fun. We walked for a bit and she was just tight…tense…just would not open up and be Freyja. So I started running and jumping around acting stupid and silly with her and BAM!! she came out of that shell and acted like the Freyja I knew. Happy, carefree and trotting around like she was enjoying herself.
Goal: To take her out to busy shopping centers and more in town walking at least twice a month. Need to do training, yes…but must have fun with it to open her up and reach her inside.

 

[Ravenbird]

We walked for a bit and she was just tight…tense…just would not open up and be Freyja. So I started running and jumping around acting stupid and silly with her and BAM!! she came out of that shell and acted like the Freyja I knew.

This is key! And a good reminder to myself that when Asha starts that discomfort look that I need to change into play mode! With Asha I think she feels things are out of her control and that makes her uncomfortable. I look at that video of her WAE and she is 110% confident, strange place, strange people, no rehearsal but she owned it. The next day we went into the obedience ring and she went through all the steps, we got a blue ribbon but she looked "not joyful". I don't know the word for it, but you described it with Freyja: just not the dog we know. I think you hit the nail on the head. I've been saying it to myself and on this forum for years now - make things fun! - but then I realize I still don't do it often enough!!!

 

[Panama]

I plan to work on Trick Dog stuff with Allura and dabble in UKC Conformation a little.

 

[JanS]

I should add too that if both you and the dog don't enjoy what you're doing, it's just going through the motions. I took Della through a 6 or 8 week rally class, but I've always hated rally so even though she knew what to do, I blew it at a show because my interest wasn't there. And now I'm show chair for a weekend of licensed rally matches in March. I was never so happy to hear they're going to do nose work trials on that same weekend too so I'll be over there instead. It's right across the hall in a mall so I immediately offered to help out with nose work since I'll still be on the premises for rally chair.

 

[jazzies mum]

This really is a wonderful thread! Everyone's ambitions and intentions are so different!

 

[Ravenbird]

I should add too that if both you and the dog don't enjoy what you're doing, it's just going through the motions.

I agree. I was excited to do Rally, it was new to me and I thought it would be fun, but Asha hated it. She wanted to do something go-go and this was just a couple of steps, a move, a couple of steps, another move... she would stare off into the distance when we came to a halt and not even sit. I got my Rally Novice but it turned out to be no fun for either one of us. I'm working hard to pump fun into our AKC obedience but it's still not moving out like IGP obedience. Her best move is the recall because it's the only time she gets to really move.

 

[Two Dobes]

I think my only ambition is to open up and welcome a new pup into my heart....eventually.

 

[Katyusharocket]

Goal: To take her out to busy shopping centers and more in town walking at least twice a month. Need to do training, yes…but must have fun with it to open her up and reach her inside.

this honestly helped Katyusha and I both. I needed to make relationships post COVID and she was in her formative years when she needed the socialization. Now when we miss a week at our favorite dog-friendly places, we hear about it and Katy gets extra special treatment. she does so good now with whatever I ask her to put up with in public. You guys will do well hitting this goal.

 

[JanS]

I needed to make relationships post COVID and she was in her formative years when she needed the socialization

That was the case with poor Phoebe since she came home in 2020 and we couldn't go anywhere in this state. We started getting her out more after mandates started lifting, but we never had a chance to build on that after she got sick.

 

[StateOfMine]

Teach Flint that his name is "Flint" and not "Off", "Leave it", "Drop it", "Quit that", "Get back here", "No!", "Holy crap your nose is cold!" or "What did you think would happen?".

Serious answer:
I'd like to have Flint earn his CGC and and get started in Agility, maybe at least assessed for a suitable temperament/nerves for protection work. We'll see.