Jan 13, 2008 all the dogs rode to Blonhaven Hunt Club - Kooly was the dog! he did a
              great job and picked up 70+ pheasants - the rest had the day off
                   note: Kooly was steadier today, his vocalizing was minimal and his
                            marking was spectacular (especially with all the other distractions)
                   note: his handling was excellent (especially when maneuvering around the
                            fencing and gates
                   note: had at least 10 opportunities to let a close in mark lay there until he
                            ran a second mark, those went well and were a real test for his
                            vocalization......getting better at handling the "rush"
   Jan 14 day off 
   Jan 15 All four dogs were loaded up and went to enroll Gunny and Daisy in OB
              classes. Afterwards, all trained at the Macktown DTA.
                   note: Daisy and Kooly were run together. The heavy grassy areas on both
                            sides of the gravel path were matted down by heavy winter snows.
                            Occasionally, when both had gone out 50 to 125 yards, they were
                            stopped with a whistle. Each would then get a hand thrown Dokken
                            single. A total of 6 marks made for a good workout.
                   note: Taffey came out to run with Gunny with the purpose of providing
                            some adult socialization. She puts up with him and between the
                            two of us it wasn't long before he stopped harassing her
    Jan 16 (afternoon) repeated yesterday's walk and toss routine at BT's DTA
                   note: Kooly and Daisy did 5 singles - sharp
                   note: Taffey dealt with Gunny again and got a few singles as Gunny
                            watched from my side  
    Jan 17 - 23 bitter cold - below zero wind chill and now 8 inches of snow
                the 21st Taffey went in for her yearly exam and to update shots, the normal
                two hour trip ended up being five hours as the snow storm really took off
                   note: all three are doing the OB routine in the pool room, Kooly is not all
                            that thrilled with it anymore he's always asking "What's my
                            motivation?" Daisy and Taffey would find joy in playing with a
                            piece of lint if it meant working with me.
    Jan 24 Daisy's first formal Obedience Class
                   note: Taffey and Kooly did there usual OB/training day
                   note: Daisy was very good at the OB class not issues and fit right in,
                            some of the command words used in class were different than
                            what we have used, i.e. "look" instead of "watch", "here" instead
                            of come, heeling on the right side was OUT!, sit was OK after
                            taking three more steps (not for us), treats were a huge thing (not
                            for us), I had to get a little more animated to fit in (but that was OK)
                   note: the main reason for Daisy's OB class was exposure to distractions.
                            It was just wonderful in that respect. One hour of close proximity
                            to other dogs was excellent. I could see she was getting a little
                            antsy toward the end.....it was almost like sensory overload. She
                            will definitely be desensitized to excitement with this class. I am
                            really happy with the choice to enroll her.     
    Jan 25-28 Daisy, Kooly and Taffey have done there daily routine of heeling, basic
                place board casting, remote sits/downs, remote drops of a bumper
                   note: Daisy continues to improve on her focus, the big increase in free
                            time in the house and sleeping in my bedroom each night is
                            beginning to show a calmer, more focused Daisy. She is extremely
                            affectionate and has a strong need to express this which makes her
                            feel better. This was part of the plan to create better responsiveness
                            resulting in better focus and enhancing control = it is working.
                            Daisy is like her Mom......it is never labor.....it is all fun.
                   note: Taffey is sharp and getting the drop routine down very well. She
                            just "flat-out" loves to do anything.
                   note: Kooly does so much better if I use the "pom poms & cheerleader"
                            approach. Kooly is a bona fide character.     
    Jan 26 (morning) everyone had a good run in the uplands at Macktown
                   note: Gunny ran with Taffey and Daisy ran with Kooly
                             Macktown Photos (Link)
    Jan 27 - Feb 6 weather again turned bad, Daisy OB class on Thursday was a lot
                of fun, all three dogs are doing OB sessions daily along with the indoor
                exercise routine in the pool room - we've shut down from a guiding or
                tower shoots
                   note: Feb 6 Daisy did a three minute sit and a three minute down, her
                            attitude around the house has change dramatically with all the
                            extra attention
                   note: the cheerleading squad mode is having a great effect on Kooly
                   note: Taffey continues to just plain love everything we do

Today  decided to move things back to the Training Journal
  
    Feb 7 Daisy's third OB class
                   note: switching Daisy's food off the Pro Plan Salmon & Rice and back to
                            Eagle Pack Performance = third day of 50-50 blend