Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[Miss Lydia]

This isn't a goose post, but I figured I would share 1 of the reasons I haven't been on here much. Since the topic is my son, i figured he could count as my gosling, lol.
We have started doing obedience and agility training with 5 of our dogs. But 1 dog, Rascal, don't play well with strange dogs (this makes me kinda sad as this is my 13 year olds dog), Dawn is being evaluated for temperment (she is actually our best agility dog, but need to see how she will react around so many dogs and people), Phantom is a puppy and so has good days and horrible days (once he matures we feel he will be an excellent agility dog), Cheyenne is only there for obedience and socialization (she is a rescue and is terrified of people and dogs), finally there is Sasha my 12 year old sons dog. my youngest son and Sasha are doing so well that I was asked if they could be part of the demo team! I am so very proud of both of them! So here are a couple pics I took last night of my son and his girl on the large dog walk.

That is so cool your kids like to do agility and obedience it is so nice to get them involved in something other than electronics. lol I use to teach obedience training and also did some agility with my mini dachshund just for fun. nice pics.

 

[Starfire669]

That is so cool your kids like to do agility and obedience it is so nice to get them involved in something other than electronics. lol  I use to teach obedience training and also did some agility with my mini dachshund just for fun. nice pics.

Dawn was selected today as another demo dog, we were not sure how she would handle so many people and dogs, but she did great. She is my best agility dog, but skill is only part of what is needed in demo dogs. Today Dawn showed she has the right temperment for it, so she joins Sasha on the team. My pup Phantom has promise, but being a puppy he isn't dependable yet. Once he matures our trainer and I both think he will also make the team.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Dawn was selected today as another demo dog, we were not sure how she would handle so many people and dogs, but she did great. She is my best agility dog, but skill is only part of what is needed in demo dogs. Today Dawn showed she has the right temperment for it, so she joins Sasha on the team. My pup Phantom has promise, but being a puppy he isn't dependable yet. Once he matures our trainer and I both think he will also make the team.

Congrats!! look forward to hearing how you all do in competition, if that's where your headed. I love watching agility.

 

[Starfire669]

Congrats!! look forward to hearing how you all do in competition, if that's where your headed. I love watching agility.

I'd actually love to compete. But we just started so we have a lot to learn. Also my training facility has old contact obstacles which needs resurfacing for safety before we start doing speed runs. I know where to get the new paint, if by the time we are ready to actually race they haven't resurfaced them, I'll pay for it. Cheaper than buying the actual obstacles. I will try and take pictures of the demos. Right now my youngest son will be training with Sasha, and my oldest son will train with Dawn. I train with Phantom, but he isn't on the demo team, because he is a puppy. When we demo I will be working with our trainer as a spotter and helping to run the demos. If 1 or both of my sons can't make it to the demo because of school, then I will demo the dogs in my sons place. My trainer has taken a special interest in me and has made me his helper. I help him set up, I'm his photographer during obedience class graduation, and he is training me to be a professional dog trainer myself.

 

[livininbrazil]

I'd actually love to compete. But we just started so we have a lot to learn. Also my training facility has old contact obstacles which needs resurfacing for safety before we start doing speed runs. I know where to get the new paint, if by the time we are ready to actually race they haven't resurfaced them, I'll pay for it. Cheaper than buying the actual obstacles. I will try and take pictures of the demos. Right now my youngest son will be training with Sasha, and my oldest son will train with Dawn. I train with Phantom, but he isn't on the demo team, because he is a puppy. When we demo I will be working with our trainer as a spotter and helping to run the demos. If 1 or both of my sons can't make it to the demo because of school, then I will demo the dogs in my sons place. My trainer has taken a special interest in me and has made me his helper. I help him set up, I'm his photographer during obedience class graduation, and he is training me to be a professional dog trainer myself.

I used to do obedience with my Dobermanns...great fun! I´m sure we´ll be hearing from you less!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I used to do obedience with my Dobermanns...great fun! I´m sure we´ll be hearing from you less!

Now we train geese..

 

[Starfire669]

I used to do obedience with my Dobermanns...great fun!  I´m sure we´ll be hearing from you less!  

Lol my schedule is brutal. Monday, Wednesday, Friday my oldest son goes to martial arts. Next week he is competing in world games his dojo is sponsoring. Wednesday Phantom goes to conformation classes, he is a show dog in training. I am aiming him for his first show at the end of the year, if all goes well. Thursday Cheyenne goes to obedience. Friday Phantom and Sasha goes to obedience and then agility in back to back classes. Saturday Dawn, Sasha, and Rascal go to agility then obedience in back to back classes. Since Dawn and Sasha are both now demo team dogs, they have to attend team training, which is scheduled for Fridays. My trainer and I both think Phantom will make the team sometime next year, when he matures a bit and settles down. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday I take Fiona for walks by the river for exercise and weight loss. My kids go with me and rollerblade while I walk the fat dog, lol. Oh and both boys signed up for athletics.

 

[Starfire669]

Now we train geese..

I could see myself with a goose on a leash, bribing it with romain lettuce, saying" stay, be a good goose"!

 

[livininbrazil]

Now we train geese..

Lol my schedule is brutal. Monday, Wednesday, Friday my oldest son goes to martial arts. Next week he is competing in world games his dojo is sponsoring. Wednesday Phantom goes to conformation classes, he is a show dog in training. I am aiming him for his first show at the end of the year, if all goes well. Thursday Cheyenne goes to obedience. Friday Phantom and Sasha goes to obedience and then agility in back to back classes. Saturday Dawn, Sasha, and Rascal go to agility then obedience in back to back classes. Since Dawn and Sasha are both now demo team dogs, they have to attend team training, which is scheduled for Fridays. My trainer and I both think Phantom will make the team sometime next year, when he matures a bit and settles down. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday I take Fiona for walks by the river for exercise and weight loss. My kids go with me and rollerblade while I walk the fat dog, lol. Oh and both boys signed up for athletics.

Yep, been there, done that.... Make the most of it! I only have one of mine at home now. The others are married and have their own lives to rush around in!

 

[Starfire669]

e
Yep, been there, done that....    Make the most of it!  I only have one of mine at home now.  The others are married and have their own lives to rush around in!

It definately keeps me hopping. My garden has suffered now that I am scrambling all over the place, lol. But I think the martial arts, dog training, sports, and even our walk/rollerblading outings are better for the boys than video games all day. Sad to say, but most of their class mates are overweight. My kids are not. My oldest boy is heavily muscled and strong, at 13 he weighs about 115 to 120 pounds, and stands at 5'5" tall. He will never be a sprinter, like his brother, but he is in shape. My youngest son, who is 12, is the opposite, slender and fast. He weighs about 80 pound and is still just under 5 feet tall. But he loves running and wants track and field. It will be interesting to see how my youngest son ends up after puberty, he hasn't gone through it yet. My older son hit puberty early, when he was 11 years old. My daughter, who has a different father than my sons, is 18 years old, weighs 110 pounds, and is 5'3" tall. She is a black belt in martial arts and is leaving to go off to college at Texas State in a few hours. She is nicely shaped and is muscled without looking bulky.

My main goals was to bond with my kids, provide learning experiences for later in life, help them with their respective issues, and give them some self defense in this crazy world. The only reason my youngest son isn't in martial arts now is because he started tring to bully people. So I pulled him out and finally found dog training for him. He seems to be settling and I may put him back in martial arts next year if his attitude keeps improving. Pairing him with a delicate, timid, gentle dog who he loves seems to be bringing out his softer side. Him making the demo team has helped, he and his dog were our first pair to make the team. My next goal for him is compitition, see how he reacts to winning and losing.

My older son, by contrast is a follower. He allows his younger brother to lead. He needs self confidence. He also struggles with a reading disability and speech issues. It has led to children at school picking on him. Thank goodness the boys stick up for each other, they fight horribly at home, but anywhere else and they defend each other. My goals for my older son are different than for my younger son. I want him to gain confidence in himself. So he does martial arts and dog training. I paired him with my Belgian Malinois, Rascal. Rascal is confident, and is dog aggressive, but i had already obedience trained him. In order to control Rascal my older son has to be confident and firm. The difference in him is not as noticeable as with my younger son, but he can control Rascal at training and in public. Because of Rascal's aggression he will never be on the demo team. So when Dawn and I made the team yesterday I past her to my oldest son. He can train Rascal in obedience and Dawn in agility so that he can get the confidence he needs. Dawn is pretty well trained now, she just needs to work on her weave. She takes the teeter, and all other obstacles except the weave off leash. I still have Phantom to train in agility, that pup needs an adult to train him right now. Phantom either takes off in turbo or refuses to pay attention. I can trust Dawn, Sasha, and Rascal to slow the boys enthusiasm down. But not Phantom, not yet anyway. Cheyenne might go into agility, but she is a rescue and first needs to get over her fears of people and dogs. For now she trains in obedience, and only does jumps, nothing else. I guess I get to train the hard cases and the boys get to enjoy, lol.

We got here for different reasons, but I'm using everything I can to improve my sons lives and give them the tools and skills they will need as adults. It has brought us closer and we have a blast doing it together.