Merles N Mal

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Merles N Mal

Three crazy driven pups exploring the world of dog sports and dog training

🎾Denali(BC)
🌻Makena (Aussie/BC),
🐊Benelli (Malinois)

04/09/2024

SW Regionals this Sunday 💦

Looks like no walk out songs this time around, but Legend will forever be his. We’ll be headed to NM Saturday afternoon/evening and will be jumping with both Denali & Makena on Sunday. Benelli is coming along just for the ride, so come say hi if you see us! 👋🏼

If you will not be attending the ribbon/award ceremony and need your ribbon picked up, let me know and we can get it for you 🥇

03/09/2024

What a weekend ☀️

We took a 7.5hr drive Norco, CA for the School of PSA trial put on by Golden State PSA Club

We had entered both days to show in the level 1s.
We’ve had one attempt prior to this, where we got off a waitlist about 2 days before, decided last minute to hop in the car and drive 9hrs to the Pahrump (Vegas) trial, only to pull towards the end of the routine for just not being together enough like we’ve had at training days.

Now onto the Norco Trial
Day one of this trial, we pulled right in the beginning. I was overheating before stepping onto the field, and thought I could get it together enough to try. Giant thanks to multiple sclerosis and heat mixture 😅 Benelli was also overheating, as I thought I needed to pull her out to doodle multiple times, quick & short sessions when she didn’t need it. Once that second command to down didn’t happen, I knew this dog was already fried so I wasn’t gonna make us continue and let it affect our training just to run the routine.

I went back to the truck and told Tyler what I wanted to change. I wanted to change my muzzle location from gate to the start cone, I needed to just play with my dog before hitting the field, and obviously the most important thing….breathe. Pass or Learning Opportunity, I do this for her.

Day Two, I smiled more at this dog during my go through OB than I had done before, I remembered to breathe, and we got through it. We had some hiccups and moments of me being frantic, which just means we got some things to work on together before we step on the field again. Just 5pts shy of passing, but I’m confident more in us now.

All 3 times for the level ones (two pulls, one NP) have been under Joe Parks. He was fair and honest to us, and he knew we could do better. I promise we will, and then he’ll get to see this little power house of a missile in protection.

I do want to thank Tyler for jumping into this journey with me, and helping me with whatever I ask of him. I want to thank my club members at Border Town PSA being supportive of us as a team and helping us build my vision with this dog. Thankful for Golden State PSA Club for putting on such an organized trial, and having the opportunity to reconnect with people I’ve met through this sport, as well as meet some new awesome competitors too.

While we aren’t sure when our next step on the trial field will be, cause you know….we’re waiting for little miss unpredictable heat cycle for some surprises;
We do know what we need to work on, we know what to improve, and the next time we get out there, we will take that first leg 😎

05/08/2024

☀️ Morning walk with the Merles. Had a lady pull up next to us saying they were the cutest things she’s ever seen 😅

20/07/2024

It’s about to be dock diving weekend! 💦
Tomorrow Makena will reach the required amount of jumps needed to accept her regional invite, and Denali should earn his DJX title after 3 jumps to also get and accept his invite.

Can’t wait to watch these two fly of the dock 🙌🏼

Photo by our awesome client, Tina 📸

04/07/2024

Happy 4th of July from the world’s bestest boy 🇺🇸

🔴 ⚪️ 🔵

24/06/2024

𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎….𝓈𝑒𝓉….𝑔𝑜 ‼️

Makena earned her Dock Senior Advanced title! Now we need only 3 more jumps to be able to accept our Regional invite. Hoping to get our DJX2 next. Denali needs 3 more jumps to earn his Dock Junior Excellent (DJX) to get and accept his invite to Regionals as well.

12/06/2024

When I tell you the amount of excitement I had with how chaotic her energy was just to get to the pool 🙌🏼

3 years later and we’re finally getting some positive headway with water 💦
She was super willing to jump in quite a few times without any leash pressure. I mean…..she definitely tried to murder me the first jump and clawed the s**t outta my back but it was worth it. Eventually we’ll get time to work the frustration of getting the toy without me needing to be in the water too

Time to order more bumpers for her

10/06/2024

Nothing to see here, just Denali enjoying the automatic sprinkler 🤣 💦

30/05/2024

Remember when I said I was done fostering… 🙃
That ended today 😅

Meet Beau 👋🏼 He is a 5 month old Australian Shepherd that was surrendered today. Now he’s here with me and my clan to work on socialization, confidence, and training. The irony when a friend (who is also the shelter Supervisor) video called me asking if I wanted to meet him, and when I get there and they tell me why he surrendered…..I literally just had a phone call with the original owner yesterday and had a pending consultation scheduled for this Friday with them.

He’s here to call this place home for now, work on puppy OB and all the dogs love him…..Denali included 😅 go figure.

24/05/2024

Participated in the ACVO/Epicur National Service Animal Eye Exam today. While Benelli is not a fan of any vet offices due to a bad past experience, she was a sweet girl getting a good/normal reading for her eyes.

Afterwards, we took a trip to check out
The food/treat selection, toys, and overall store appearance was fantastic. She got a lot of love from the staff member working, and got some delicious treats to take home. We will definitely be back to visit any time we are in the area.

22/05/2024

We have the week semi-off, so it’s been nice being able to stay in with the pups and not have to be anywhere first thing in the morning. Get to do a little more training with them, relax, went for a jog with Benelli. Denali & Makena getting time with their herding balls.

13/05/2024

Start of the 2024 season for us. The Merle’s haven’t been dock diving since Regionals last year. It’s a bit difficult to rent the pool near us, but even with that, I’m always proud of how much fun these two have no matter the distance. Denali was consistently in the 10s and best jump of 11’8 yesterday. Makena decided to dial back and stay consistent in the 13s with best jump being 14’.

Checking the portal to see the events and their chance at regionals this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see Makena already has an invite! So we just need our 15 to accept. Denali should be able to get an invite this year as well, but man it hit seeing the star now next to his name 🥹

11/05/2024

Tomorrow Benelli and I will be venturing through Dog Days of Tombstone, then Sunday Denali & Makena finally get back to the dock to dive! 💦

What are your plans with weekend? 😎

29/04/2024

OG Merles had their vet trip today for wellness exam and updating some vaccines. Man have these trips got more and more expensive 😂

Denali was a perfect gentleman. Makena, however, still tries to steal the stethoscope every time so she can chew it 🩺

28/04/2024

Someone was happy to show off her new tutu at Celebrating Animals…..even if the alpacas & llamas were confused AF 😂😂 🦙

She’ll be rocking it again at next months event in Tombstone and then Denali & Makena get to go dock diving at Animal Watchers 👏🏼

22/04/2024

𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦

Lately, I’ve taken a break from social media and sharing things online. Been pulling 50+ hour work weeks to keep things flowing the best I can. My health both physical and mental was taking a toll in various ways. My vision has decreased and I had to change my prescription, as well as having cysts behind my eyelids caused by high stress and now I also have allergies. I am back on medication for having severe panic attacks in health care settings. But despite all of that, it’s just another day. Another day to continue trekking forward. I’ve been a workaholic my whole life. I’m learning to slow down. I’m learning to put myself first.

Yesterday after work, turned into a spontaneous trip with a friend to the lake. I took my three dogs, even though I have not taken them all out together in a long time, especially without Tyler. I knew it might be a chore or struggle, but we all needed the break away. We went paddle boarding, played on the shore and in the water. We ended with a relaxing dinner, Benelli was fantastic and attentive after a long day.

I will slowly come back to social media, but definitely going to keep going forward and look to enjoy the future for myself.

02/04/2024

Happy 6th Birthday to the Sleezy Beezy, Makena 🎀

Over the years, she’s just continued to be a sassy addition to the family. She enjoyed extra snacks and couch snuggles today. She’s excited to get back to the dock next month and fly.

📷

25/03/2024

𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦

Should’ve known from the second you gave me that look in the hotel room the night I picked you up, that you were gonna be feisty about giving things up 😅

21/03/2024

𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑒 🍷

Denali turns 8 today. He still loves to play an endless game of fetch, total chow hound who will definitely let you know if you are even 2 minutes late with dinner, has been deciding to make more and more friends despite being a dick for years, and just wants to cuddle or get scratches 24/7. He’s been slowly inching towards retirement, especially with his leg dropping a lot more frequently lately from a previous injury. He will be jumping in the Veterans division this year. This boy regardless of age though, still loves to come to work and live his best life.

19/03/2024

Instead of a normal club day yesterday, we got majority of our members out to Parker Canyon Lake to just relax and hang out. The dogs all had a blast running and playing, and Benelli enjoyed getting out on the paddle board.

Soon I’ll get another lake day out there with the Merles included so they can swim. Getting these random breaks from constant training and just getting to have some free days has been really good for both the dogs and myself.

15/03/2024

𝒸𝒽𝒶𝑜𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑜 🔥

Everyone coming back to work together again and enjoying themselves. Been getting out of the house more when we can and just trying to find that spark.

12/03/2024

𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴

Dragoon () came to spend the day with us to learn he could be away from mom without combusting into flames. Denali is completely smitten with him being here and kept trying to sneak over to him but alas…he was caught every time. Benelli could care less because she seems him all the time at club 😅

10/03/2024

𝓋𝒶𝓁𝓊𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓉 ⛰️

It’s been a while since all the pups got to get out on a hike, with just how chaotic life can be. They all enjoyed themselves getting to run and play in the water. Aria treed a few squirrels. They did very well with check-ins and control, of course until at the very end, Makena grumbled at a lady that came out of nowhere surprising all of us 🙃 recalled immediately and off the the car we went. I almost got taken out a few times by a giant stick Benelli had to carry 😂

04/03/2024

The world’s best man will be another year older this month and I’m not here for it 🥺

For not being at work for a while, he never skips a beat at remembering all of his commands or agility training. I’m sad his injury from a few years ago has made us pump the brakes on some things he does. Mainly because this boy lives to please me and will try to do it all even if he’s sore.

26/02/2024

We did a thing. On Friday, after Pima got adopted (yay! 🙌🏼), Benelli & I drove to Pahrump, NV for the PSA Trial….just the two of us.

Hearing all the commotion from all levels while the car was not far at all from the field, I was very pleased to see her come out during and between it all, being super engaged and happy to be there working with me. She was a little parking lot rockstar. ⭐️

Sunday….we entered for our first attempt/leg of our PSA 1. While she was full of eagerness on deck, we started to lose it during our obedience. My nerves started to get to me, and it bled straight to her.

Unfortunately, we decided not to continue after the off leash portion. I know she can do better, and I know I have to be more clear minded when I step out there to be better myself. As Joe says, it’s just back to the lab. Back to breaking things down and cleaning up our stuff before we hit the field again. ♥️

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Enjoy this chaotic, spicy bean 🌶️ From trying to help me put up a tunnel, to giving sass when I’m not giving attention, to showing everyone the run out was too short (she was fine and they fixed it every year afterwards), to um….catching her in the act 🤣 She’s gonna have some fun puppies one day 🤪 #benellithemalinois #belgianmalinois #malinois #dogsofinstagram #workingdog #workingbreed #whatisgoingoninsidetheirhead #demanetbitesuits #demanet @demanet.sportcanin @demanetbitesuits #psadog #tiktok #highdrivedogs

ʟᴏᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴ 2024 🧭 #goodbye2023 #denalitheredmerle #makenathemystery #ariathepitty #benellithemalinois #pimatheminimalinois #dogsports #changesarecoming #newyear #11yearrelationship #workingdogs #trending #dogsofinstagram #belgianmalinois #bordercollie #getoutdoorsmore #newyearresolution

𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 From self-teaching/training a brand new sport to us in our usual fashion, to deciding to build a club from ground zero & up to help get support behind us. We are making things happen, as it’s a learning curve as we go. We still got a ways to go, but we will hit the trial field again 2024 to go for our first leg of the 1s soon. 🤞🏼 #benellithemalinois #belgianmalinois #malinois #bordertownpsa @bordertownpsa #dogsofpsa @dogsofpsa #demanet #demanetbitesuits #psa #protectionsportsassociation #bitesports #protectionsports #workingdog #blackarrowworkingdogs #furmissile #hermsprenger #ecollartraining

Fastcat weekend is almost over 😪 one day left. Denali, Makena & Benelli have been running their hearts out. Denali has been consistent with about mid 8s. Makena has been low 8s and broke once into the 7s. Benelli is a little speed demon coming at mid 7s and close to a new PR with how she’s been going. Little Pima even got a fun run to see what she’d do. First run ever, and she was at 8.20 She’ll only be picking up speed from here, and can’t wait til she can finally register to run in 2 months! #denalitheredmerle #bordercollie #makenathemystery #australianshepherd #benellithemalinois #pimatheminimalinois #belgianmalinois #malinois #fastcat #tallyho #dogsports #fcat #workingdogs #sportdog

𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 letting Denali just enjoy the game with no expectations, other than having a great time doing it. he has put his heart and soul into everything for me over the years. he is always my rock when i need him. next month, we'll get answers on what his current eye issue may be (growth/bubble directly on the eyeball itself). but in true Denali fashion, he acts as if nothing is wrong and still wants to go 100mph 24/7 #denalitheredmerle #bordercollie #protectiondog #psa #psadog #dogsofpsa #heartdog #workingdog #sportdog #bordertownpsa

🐺 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟 🗣️ Helping those who want to learn about catching dogs. Carrick was a rockstar taking her first bites from Benelli! Her body language and timing was fantastic. Steve has taken bites from Benelli previously, so we got to work our send to guard and passive bites 💪🏼 #benellithemalinois #belgianmalinois #malinois #dogsofpsa @dogsofpsa #bitework #protection #workingdog #protectionsportsassociation #psa #dogsports #blackarrowworkingdogs

𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝓌𝑒’𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓉🤞🏼 #benellithemalinois #malinois #belgianmalinois #psadog #dogsofpsa @dogsofpsa #blackarrowworkingdogs #protectiondog #protectionsportsassociation #bitework #obedience #malinoismom #malinoisofinstagram #demanetbitesuits

Makena having a little fun at the park. It’s been a while since we’ve played disc, and she hasn’t skipped a beat. Still psycho about it 🥏 #makenathemystery #australianshepherd #bordercollie #mixbreed #discdog #workingdog #sportdog

𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘯’ benelli has been a fun dog to learn the sport of PSA with. she's always eager to go….well sometimes too eager so we've got a lot more work with neutrality to go. 😅 when im not working in my suit with her, she's been a great dog to help teach those wanting to take a bite or learn decoying. having such a safe dog that can go from bite work, to getting love/attention on the sidelines has been a dream. before the send to bicep, we were doing a lot of spin around for the ball. making sure sure she can differentiate between specific cues. from bite, to out/guard, then transport. she normally goes for a heeling transport, but apparently she wanted to throw some more flare to it 😂 #benellithemalinois #psa #protectionsportsassociation #dogsofpsa @dogsofpsa #protectionwork #bitework #workingdog #workingdogwednesday #belgianmalinois #malinois #stellen #demanet #demanetbitesuits @demanet.sportcanin @demanetbitesuits #defconcanine @defconcanine

The best little crew, despite how wild they can be ♥️ Everyone rocking their shoes today to protect their paws 🐾 #denalitheredmerle #benellithemalinois #makenathemystery #dogtraining #heelwork #dogswithshoes #bordercollie #belgmalinois #australianshepherd #dogtrainer

Enjoy this video of me sounding like a complete idiot with this dog 😅 We’ve been working a down in motion, as well as holding down when I return and waiting for the next command. (Two different PSA items in the PDC) Lately, it’s just been sloppy on both our parts. At times downs were slow or different position offered, or she’d bounce into a sit before being asked on my return. For the added bonus, enjoy her show pony heel at the end 😂 I finally got it on camera. #benelli #blackarrowworkingdogs #belgianmalinois #belgianmalinoisofinstagram #dogtraining #dogtrainer #fancyfeetfriday #fussfriday #downinmotion #heelwork #sitmeanssit #sitmeanssitsouthernarizona #poweredbyinukshuk

We don’t always do tiktok stuff and thought we’d try this. Denali took full advantage of the opportunity 😂 . . #denalitheredmerle #bordercollie #321bang #handstandchallenge #dogsofinstagram #dogsoftiktok #trickdog #heartdog

This goofy ass dog 😅 Was hoping to have another dock diving dog, but she’s far from being a fan of the water 😂 even if the sleeve is involved. She did not get the water genes passed down, or maybe they are extremely slow to come for her. So for now, this is all for fun to get her comfortable. She’s perfecting her “reverse” command though haha . . . #benelli #belgianmalinois #blackarrowworkingdogs #nonwaterdog #biteygames #dockdiving #naddict #workingdog

Fancy Feet Friday is coming 🐾 It’s still a work in progress, but practice makes permanent, so we’re doing our best! 💪🏼 #benelli #belgianmalinois #fancyfeetfriday #heelwork #dogtraining #obedience #blackarrowworkingdogs #sitmeanssit #firsttiktok

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