K9 Energy Edge

19/08/2024

Update the list is up!
Crooks: This weekend I had the chance to sit down with some novice handlers and talk about crooks. I have resisted in the past having a list, because I love to under promise and hopefully overdeliver, not the other way around, but I think I’m ready for a list. With their input, they have convinced me that it would be reassuring to be on a list, knowing that they will get one. So here is what I am proposing. Very soon I will have a form on my website that you can fill out requesting one of my painted crooks It will allow you to choose the color choice that is available and the size. I will work down the list and fill the requests as they come in. If the timing for you isn’t right, you can pass and it will go to the next one on the list. You can be back on the list at a later time. This is not for any crook other than my own, and only a trial that needs prizes or my own mother, will get me to make her one and deviate from the list.
We have always been in this together with me steering the ship but you all setting the Farm Diggity sails. So is this a go or no go?
One last thing I hope you know I love that you want my crooks, it is an honor and a privilege to make them and see you with them. I think knowing who I am making the crook potentially for will bring me even more happiness.
www.farmdiggity.com

27/07/2024

22/07/2024

St Cloud Florida

Closed

Auction Item #19: Half Day at Linden Hollow Farm**

Donated by Sherry Lee and Natalie Cole, enjoy a half day at the beautiful Linden Hollow sheep farm in central Florida! Spend time in the country training your dogs with Dorper and Katahdin cross sheep and call ducks in a variety of field sizes and trial courses. One-on-one lessons can be booked for a personalized experience.

**Details:**
- **Schedule:** Must be scheduled between October 15, 2024, and February 1, 2025.
- **Starting Bid:** $50
- **Auction Ends:** July 23 at 6:00 PM EST

**Place Your Bids on This Page Only!**

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity for a unique and productive day at Linden Hollow. Bid now and secure your half day on this stunning farm!

05/07/2024

Chiefland Florida

TRACKS K9 CLUB Last Dash To the Big Splash !! last event before the Ultimate Air Games National Championship in Tennessee !! Often imitated yet never duplicated 2023 UAD CLUB OF THE YEAR !!! #1 ROSETTES AND SWAG !!! SIGN UP NOW AT https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaOSFQ_f9b_ZGl18hBiLZFuKIkOeuk8NutIgdC3ablMaTR1A/viewform?usp=sf_link

02/07/2024

⭐️Clinic⭐️

Lake Geneva, WI, August 5-6

**UPDATE: working slots are filled but we often have cancellations and we’ll start a list of those interested, please email to be added.
Also, please do not send payment unless your spot has been confirmed **

Alasdair and I will be doing a clinic at Margaret Lass-Gardiner’s lovely farm on the Mon/Tues following her Nippersink trial (just bf Merry Russell’s trial)

It will be General Handling and
all levels of handlers welcome with dogs working reliably in the field (sorry, no starting dogs at this one).

If you'd like to sign up, please email us, [email protected]

Please sign up for auditing prior to Aug 1.

COST General Clinic:
2 days, $550
Audit, $100/day or $150 for both

Look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new faces.

26/06/2024

With the hot weather, many of us are worried that our working dogs will overheat. There is a FB post going around again that says not to immerse your overheated dogs in cold water, to give it like warm water to drink and to only wet its paws. This is simply not true! Here’s my comment on a recent post:

This is misinformation that can lead to death. As a vet who worked ER in Florida in my early years I can say that I’ve seen my fair share of overheated dogs. The first thing we did when they came in was immerse them in ice water to cool them as quickly as possible. The longer their body temperature is dangerously high, the more likely they will suffer organ failure or die.

As an older (much older) and hopefully wiser vet who works dogs, sometimes in hot conditions, I have some advice:

Please, please, please… be proactive first and be careful when temps and/or humidity is high. If working a dog on hot/humid weather, be sure it is well hydrated and take frequent breaks.

If, despite your best effort, your dog overheats, get it wet!!! As wet as you can. The colder the water the better!

Do not try to force it to drink. It is trying desperately to cool itself and will likely aspirate water only making matters worse.

Then get to the nearest ER/Urgent Care vet as far as you can. Call ahead if possible so they can be prepared when you arrive.

24/06/2024

Don’t wait until they’re so hot they can barely stand. Don’t wait until the big trial. Don’t wait until they’re getting older. Just don’t wait. Start teaching your young dogs (or even your old dogs) to drink Energy Edge after working. Channel your inner Pavlov!

This is Deke, 18 months old, drinking a small bit of Energy Edge after a training session.

k9energyedge.com

23/06/2024

Erik picked up this strand of ELEVEN balloons out of the hayfield this afternoon. They were losing helium and would have been essentially invisible in another few hours, and then stood a good chance of getting mowed, raked and baled in the dense grass to be potentially eaten by a cow, horse or goat this winter. This is often fatal to the animal, causing intestinal blockage or choking. With the long strings wound right into the bale, an animal may not even realize what it’s consuming until it’s too late.

Please, on behalf of not only livestock but wildlife, skip the balloons when you’re decorating for your party this summer! Releasing balloons, whether accidental or intentional, is littering, plain and simple—and it can truly have deadly consequences.

For our readers who want receipts, here a few articles about the effect of balloons on both livestock and wildlife:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/agriculture/farming/8494881/Farmer-wins-compensation-after-Red-Nose-Day-balloon-kills-cow.html

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/balloon-hazards-real-or-overblown/article_c9a7e1b2-56bb-5e14-acc6-d64898653e83.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-46058916

https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/environment/balloon-pollution-dangerous-for-farm-animals-and-wildlife/281-588896532

16/06/2024

Today is June 14 and it’s time to prepare!

Start thinking about your strategy to help your pets cope with fireworks even if they seem “okay”. So many dogs get more and more sensitized to fireworks as they age.

1. Give them a safe place indoors. Stuffed food toys, a favorite toy, sitting with them and engaging them in fun games or easy training can help them focus on something other than the fireworks. Practicing this in their safe place will familiarize them with the process. Just throwing them into a bathroom and expecting them to be calm is not the same!
2. Play music or TV to help “absorb” the loud booms.
3. Most importantly seek veterinary attention for medical options if you know your pet is sensitive!

When I lived in an urban area with lots of fireworks from about 9-11 pm, I would load my dogs in the car and drive around with music playing. This worked well for us. 😉

16/06/2024

As I was sitting with Chester in his last group fitness class yesterday, I could feel my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. He went into the arena with enthusiasm, put his two front feet on the platform in his working area and said very clearly and confidently - “okay mom, let’s do this!”

I was so unbelievably proud of him. 🥹

We initially did this fitness class to learn more about building strength and foundational skills for fitness exercises. The class focused on things like basic canine anatomy, noticing and strategically rewarding subtle weight shifts, posture and balance, teaching targeting in various ways, position changes, precision skills, how to get a dog THINKING about how they’re using their body… so many things!

This class WASN’T about “troubleshooting behavior challenges”, “obedience” or “reactivity”. Focusing on what your dog is doing wrong and “how you can fix them” (yes, even when you use positive reinforcement!) is inherently full of high stakes and pressure, whether we like it or not. It makes everything feel so… urgent.

Don’t get me wrong, I love supporting dogs and their guardians through the complicated journey that is navigating the underlying “big feelings” of behavioral challenges. I love helping everybody develop skills to make their life together easier and find room for creative compromise when needed.

But! Taking this class with Chester helped me to rediscover what I love about training dogs. I love learning HOW they learn - helping them to connect the dots in fun and different ways. There really is something magical about working with them and doing activities that we can enjoy together, and not just focusing on their challenges and the situations in which they struggle.

Learning something new - something with LOWER stakes for all parties - better refines all of my training skills AND reminds my dog how much fun training can be!

Consider this your sign to do more things with your dog that bring you both joy. Remind yourself that your dog is more than the challenges they sometimes have - and soak up their strengths and passions. Your connection will be better for it, and your training skills will come along for the ride!

14/06/2024

There is something special about a redemption story.
It occurs to me it’s often much like our own stories with our dogs….

Imagine the kind where the protagonist has flaws, but tries very hard.
Sets goals, dreams big, but faces adversity and challenges.
Sometimes they aren’t motivated, feel defeated or question their own abilities.
Yet, in the end, there is transformation—

Not because of God given talent and inherent skill but because they do the work.
They demonstrate grit, resilience and mental fortitude.
They learn from failures, seek help and move on quickly from defeat.
They understand they can either have regret or practice discipline, and choose the latter.

Most important to the story is the loyal partner.
One that inspires the lead character, forgives them all their imperfections;
loves them for not only for who they are, but for who they are trying to become.

The partner doesn’t care about ribbons, trophies or trials.
What matters is how they can read each others mind, the secret language they share and
all the tasks they accomplish, when no one is watching.
The partner knows the story is really about the time they spend together and their extraordinary bond,
that enriches the lead character’s life immeasurably.
The partner is the hero❤️

18/05/2024

18/05/2024

A good reminder! ☀️

While we all love to take our furry friends out with us, please be aware of the dangers that can come with keeping a pet in a car, in hot weather!

The temperature inside a car can rise almost 20 degrees in 10 minutes, even on a day that doesn't seem hot. This can cause the dog to suffer from heatstroke, brain damage, or suffocation.

13/05/2024

Good snake bit information! 🐍

25/04/2024

https://www.stockdoggems.com/whistles-lanyards-crooks/p/ctpwak5u19miuqgg3nbm8q0w3d93j3

22/04/2024

10/04/2024

Whatever your dog sport, this hits the mark! 🐾

Loving your dog is easy. Being passionate about the trials is easy.
Success is hard.
Improvement doesn’t happen overnight yet, with the first 2 in place + a growth mindset, you’re well set up to help success happen.

There are 5 traits that come up time and time again that can setback handler/dog teams and there are 6 things you can do to unlock you and your dogs full potential……

Setback traits include:

1. Fear of failure
2. Perfectionism (“perfect is the enemy of good”)
3. Focusing on results, rather than the process
4. Expectations are too high or too low
5. Lack of self awareness

Losing your ego and being humble does away with much of this pretty well.

When you realize if you’re not at the top, very few are watching, you don’t need to be self conscious.
‘Perfect’ isn’t attainable. Not for you, your dog or anyone else, full stop. If you strive for perfection, rather than greatness, you’ll put unrealistic and unfair expectations on your dog, likely spoil a good bit of his enjoyment, risk losing his confidence and miss lots of joy along the way.
Everyone wants to do well with their dog but some don’t want to hear that it takes years of study and dedication to be successful.
It’s the work that leads to the results.
If your expectations are too high, see losing ego above. If your expectation are too low, you’ll not reach your potential, but because you’re humble, hopefully you’ll realize that by trying, you’re already more of a champion than anyone sitting on the fence criticizing and in turn raise expectations.
Self awareness is about honest assessment. Once you can do that for yourself and for your dog, you can get help developing areas in which you or he are not inherently talented. It provides direction and is a key to improvement.

6 Tips to unlock full potential + improve your partnership:

1. Practice consistently and with intention: Clearly outline the objective of the training session bf you start. Focus on specific skills (not just ‘exercise’ for your dog). It’ll not only improve your handling but prepare your mind to react as you recognize situations, even subconsciously. It’ll also grow you and your dogs confidence.(If its not working, you might have to take a step back or revisit fundamentals)

2. Set goals: Make them specific and measurable. If you have lots of goals, sift through them. Try to limit it to 3 at a time.

3. Get feedback: From coaches, trainers, or experienced handlers to help identify areas for improvement. Get an experts input for a new exercise or next steps. It’ll help with motivation.

4. Fundamentals: Mastering the fundamentals is essential. It makes learning the more complex aspects easier and elevates your dogs confidence.

5. Watch and learn: Watch videos of yourself. Objectively. Videoing your training sessions and well as your trials can help immeasurably. It’ll influence both your goal setting and your motivation. Also watch accomplished handlers, study techniques and strategies. Get help from an expert; always be learning.

6. Believe. In yourself and your dog. Follow a proven methodology and believe in the process. Believe in the work. Believe there is not one definition of success and believe that you and your dog will be successful!

macraeway.com