Secret had a mini family reunion yesterday! We made it down to the dog center early enough that we got to spend quite a bit of time with Secret's brother, Blizzard, and his owner, Ruth. Lucky for us, they happened to be outside on a potty break when we pulled up, so they were an easy pair to spot. Secret, of course, sticks out like a sore thumb due to all the pictures I've posted of her online. :o)
She started out with her usual uncertain growl and snarking. Blizzard was a champ about it and cautiously gave her the distance she needed, but also kept trying to be friends. It's so very hard to tell if they actually remembered each other straight away, but Secret got over herself fairly quickly and then they were fast friends.
We were able to let them off leash to run and play for a while when there weren't several other dogs around. The two of them had a grand time chasing each other around and boxing at each other. It was a hot morning and it didn't take long for the two of them to tire out and crash. Then they settled into laying next to each other to eat grass. :o)
It was so fun to get to see Blizzard again. He's obviously grown up a lot since I met them all as little puppies! He's turning into a handsome boy, and he has the best personality! We had a lot of fun telling everyone that they are littermates. Their coats are obviously completely different, but I think they share a LOT of similarities when you see them side by side. Their faces & expressions are very similar, as are their size & build. Surprisingly, they also share the exact same bark!
I stuck around to watch Ruth run her two older dogs in Excellent JWW, during which time Secret got to help me run score sheets back and forth. She was perfectly well behaved and acted exceedingly polite around all of the unfamiliar people & dogs in tight quarters.
After a nap at home, I took all of the dogs swimming. We met Holly & Diane at the Dresbach boat landing. I've never been there, but it ended up being a fantastic swimming spot for the dogs and we'll definitely go back there again! Secret found her sea legs and actually went on a couple of random swims for no reason -- well, truly, I think she was searching for a stick or something, but she actually went out fairly far! She retrieved a stick at swimming distance several times, but there is definitely a limit to how far out she will go to retrieve. She's turning into a little water dog!
Secret traveled well to the agility trial in Savage, MN this weekend. We went up on Friday and just did the one day on Saturday. There was a bit of an issue with her refusing to go to the bathroom at the hotel Friday night, so unfortunately she had to spend the night in her crate. I'm still not sure what that was all about!
I decided to keep Secret separated from the boys at the trial to give the boys a bit more space, and because I think Secret behaves better that way. She barked a bit, but was much less vocal than she was at the La Crosse trial! We had every weather event imaginable that day and she was a real trooper dealing with the wind, thunder & rain.
She did quite well with the people she knows and fairly well with those she doesn't. We got to play with Peppy & Neeko for a while and she thought that was great fun. She wasn't so sure of Neeko in the morning, but once she was off leash around him later in the day she was fine. Secret seems to adore Peppy!
It is hot, hot, hot here for the next few days, so I have a feeling we won't be getting much training done at home.
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