Dog Related Plans & Goals for 2025

[remy]

Your goals & plans can be ANYTHING! Is your goal to walk/run/hike more with your dog? Awesome! Is your goal to improve loose leash walking? Great! Looking to finish up legs towards a title? Super! This isn’t intended to be viewed as a competitive thing amongst each other, rather a way to share our plans, motivate each other, etc…

My goals are mostly related to dog sports. Although I really enjoy training I can sometimes procrastinate, so setting goals like going to a trial motivates me to stay consistent!

My 2025 plans & goals:
•My original goal for this year was to finish Remy’s AKC championship. We haven’t had much luck showing (granted I’m sure we don’t do the best job), so at this point I would be happy to just get him pointed this year! We’re entered in a show in a few weeks and I also plan to enter my local club’s show in April. After that we’ll likely take the rest of the spring and summer off, but of course it all depends on how things go.

•I would love to try agility classes with him! I got the contact info awhile back but the instructor hasn’t been very responsive and doesn’t post her class schedules anywhere, so who knows if/when we’ll make it to class lol.

•I’d love to get more involved with barn hunt! Unfortunately the nearest places to train are 2.5-3 hours away, so I’m not able to go there as much as I’d like. So far he’s only done 1 lesson and 1 trial, earning his RATI title. He didn’t want to tunnel during his lesson so that’s something we’ll need to work on.

•I’m hoping to start trialing in the Advanced level of AKC scent work this spring. I have my eyes set on a trial in April!

•I have a hiking trip planned next month for my birthday (Remy is coming of course). I’m also hoping to bring him to another park I love this spring/summer! I really wanted to go last year but was just too busy with other things.

•Lastly, I’m hoping he earns his CGCA this year, possibly CGCU also but we’ll see lol.

 

[JanS]

I'm hoping to dabble in UKC nosework since I didn't have a chance last year. I'm registered for a 4 week virtual class with one of the nosework judges from our club and have one of her kits purchased. I'm not sure which dog it will be yet but the beauty of the virtual class is that I can try it with both of them to see who enjoys it more.

I'm going to try to get the rest of Olive's health testing done after she turns 2 in March.
I'd like to finish her championship in conformation now that I found a handler who does great with her. I tried myself last year and failed miserably. LOL

I'm not sure with Elroy since he really doesn't enjoy a lot of it.

 

[Ravenbird]

I have an iffy schedule this year but will continue to work on my AKC Scentwork Excellent title (we have 3 out of 4 elements) and even if I don't trial in obedience, I'll still continue to work on our CDX exercises at home because Asha loves to train. And yes, hiking is the best here and a couple of miles a few times a week always makes life better.

 

[MichiH]

Pepper has her first FastCAT at the end of this month.
We are working on scent work daily and she absolutely loves it. Maybe we will compete at some point.
I also am looking into CGC as I think Pepper would do really well with it.
A few trips planned for spring and summer can’t wait! Excited that she is e collar trained so I can take her on hikes when we go to the Catskills.
Pepper loves training, we will keep it up daily and work with her e collar too. I’d also really like to get her to leave the cat alone, work in progress

 

[Katyusharocket]

I have myself and Zastava enrolled in a nosework for beginners class, and hope to enter her in a UKC trial in summer or fall to see if we learned it well. But I want to train the other dogs to do it too, Toby can't see but his nose is amazing and it might be a great way to get him engaged in something. I don't plan on trialing Katyusha or Toby. But if it goes well I can pick one of them and also teach them to find Pheasant back and Morel mushrooms later on and go on mushrooms hunts.

Katyusha will, in the natural progression of things drop the novice part of her therapy dog title, she might even make 100 cumulative visits this year to go on to Therapy Dog Advanced.

I have a personal goal of getting in shape enough to do the 1 mile fundraising run that we have locally, and i have to read up on it again, but I think one of the dogs could run it with me to earn FIT dog silver. In any case, I think it would be fun and it's not a hard title to get, as I recall.

This one is a little odd but I'd like to take them to the Renaissance Festival this fall. I think there would be so much for them to see and smell there, like fire juggling and people dressed like witches and jesters and wearing armor, and lots of foods and drinks they don't normally smell. Not to accomplish anything but just have a fun day out with a new experience.

 

[JanS]

But if it goes well I can pick one of them and also teach them to find Pheasant back and Morel mushrooms later on and go on mushrooms hunts.

Ooh the Morel training is a great idea and we actually have them back here but hubby hasn't found any for a few years now.

 

[Katyusharocket]

Ooh the Morel training is a great idea and we actually have them back here but hubby hasn't found any for a few years now.

I am new to mushroom hunting, but as I understand it, Morels are typically hiding under dead Elm tree bark, or the leafy cover nearby it, and very hard to see with the eye. Having one of their noses to preview under that layer and tell me where to start moving the bark would be amazing.

 

[JanS]

We (well hubby) got this delicious bunch back here quite a few years ago. Sauteed in butter on top of grilled steaks was .

 

[Katyusharocket]

We (well hubby) got this delicious bunch back here quite a few years ago. Sauteed in butter on top of grilled steaks was

Oh lordy! Good looking harvest there! And sounds delicious!

 

[MichiH]

FastCAT is Saturday! I’ll report back

 

[Ravenbird]

FastCAT is Saturday! I’ll report back

That's as much fun as you can ask for - looking forward to your report!

 

[GennyB]

But if it goes well I can pick one of them and also teach them to find Pheasant back and Morel mushrooms later on and go on mushrooms hunts.

My son's dobie hunted morels. She was pretty good at and picked it up pretty fast.

but as I understand it, Morels are typically hiding under dead Elm tree bark, or the leafy cover nearby it, and very hard to see with the eye. Having one

I don't know if it's different here because of the climates changes but he found them near in moist woodlands and river bottoms and neat trees. You can also find them here near elms as well as ashes, cottonwoods and apple trees. They also like south and west facing slopes which worked out well for him because he lives on a farm surrounded on one side with west facing slopes and the Missouri river on anpther side. He also has several apple trees that were a gold mine of morels.


As far as my goals, I think surviving puppyhood is a good start. After that we may get back into therapy work. He has his first gig already. A Mardi Gras pet parade. I have done this parade before and it's pretty entertaing to see all the pets dreesed up and acting goofy.

 

[LucyXIII]

Dog Goal for 2025: get a dog lmao


Waiting on a breeding in Feb (hopefully) and there's a litter about to drop, also in Feb. <hyperventilating into bag>

 

[JanS]

FastCAT is Saturday! I’ll report back

Good luck! I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

[JanS]

Waiting on a breeding in Feb (hopefully) and there's a litter about to drop, also in Feb.

Fingers crossed for you.

 

[MichiH]

Good luck! I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Now there’s snow in the forecast

 

[JanS]

Now there’s snow in the forecast

Well that's a bummer. They don't even have any type of coursing around here from November - May.

 

[MichiH]

Well that's a bummer. They don't even have any type of coursing around here from November - May.

I know weird they’re doing winter months. Last race was canceled because of the snow still on the ground.

 

[remy]

That’s too bad @MichiH. I hope you guys are able to go again soon! I was going to take Remy on Friday since there was availability for “day-of” runs, but I think I have too much to do before I leave for vacation on Monday lol. Maybe you can see if the club offers “day-ofs” and you could go another day, assuming the snow is gone?

@Katyusharocket I hope you and Z have a lot of fun at the class! Most dogs seem to love it!

 

[remy]

No completed goals yet, but we are working towards them! I’m entered in a scent work trial on March 29th. He’ll be doing each of the 4 elements twice. He’s done this for each trial and does well with it. At the last trial the final run was actually his fastest at just over 6 seconds! The trial was originally in early May, then April and was finally confirmed as being in March lol. He is doing very well so I don’t think it will be too soon.

Another of my goals was to do more barn hunt. The lessons are far away but it’s actually along the route to my trip next week, so I’m hoping to stop there either on the way to or from lol.