I have to admit I
never thought I would ever bring another boy
into the house. I adore the boys but I
prefer the girls to train and work with.
However sometimes outside forces intervene and this causes you to do things that you weren't planning on. This outside
force has a name...nope not a higher power (although he may like to think so) his name is Jay.
Jay is my husband and had become tired of being in the back seat with the training
of the girls. (I am not very good at sharing) He kept saying how he wanted a "boy of his own" to work with and train.
So back in 2005 while I was down in Alabama playing nanny to the babies Jay kept referring to the boys as "his".
After a long talk
with Jay, I finally gave in. <I was adamant
that he was to train the dog>. I really
couldn't say no to Jay anyway. The man who now spends his
vacation time driving cross country to dog shows, reads all ingredients prior to buying any dog food and treats, and
understands the importance of "the kids come first".
Jay and Luka spent the
first year learning how to work together as a team.
As this is
Jay's first time training a dog there was a
lot of up and downs. After a LOT of hard
work Jay and Luka finally started to come
together as a team. In October of 2006 Jay and Luka sailed through their certification
track. That December they made their first
attempt at the TD title. Unfortunately, Luka's head was not in the game that
day and he felt it was more fun to chase
after mice! Jay did not give up and in May
of 2007 Jay and Luka flew through their 480
yard TD track in 4 minutes! Jay and Luka
plan to pursue the TDX title and will
continue working toward that goal.
Luka
also continues to work on his obedience skills. He displays a beautiful heads
up heeling, and quick responses to commands. However as Luka is an extremely soft dog, training has been at a slower pace
as to not dampen his spirit.
W
e
are very proud of all of Luka's
accomplishments this past year. Luka has
earned the TD title, 2 majors at supported
entries with limited showing <he was shown a
total of 2 weekends>, his first Junior Hunt
leg and participated in his first TDX test.
Jay gets the credit for all the performance
venues as he handles and trains Luka for all
these events.
Watch for Luka in the field & the ring in
the Spring of 2008...
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5-18-07-
Jay and Luka have added activity to their
schedule. They have begun agility training!
Right now the training is the beginners
level and its all for fun! It will be up to
Jay to decide if he wants to pursue an
agility title later on or not!
07-30-07 Although Luka has
been heating up the show ring he has also
been hitting the hunting fields. Jay and
Luka have been working on hunt training
these past few months and we are seeing
marked improvement with both boys. They
still have a long ways to go before
attempting to achieve any hunting titles.
Luka has incredible enthusiasm and drive in
the field.
10-21-07 Jay and Luka
participated in their first hunt test this
weekend. On Saturday lady luck was not on
their side as Luka failed to retrieve the
bird on the land portioned of the test.
Although disappointed Jay remained
optimistic. On Sunday Luka and Jay pulled it
all together and put on a stellar
performance. It was a pleasure watching this
team work together in the field. They walked
away with their first JH leg. I am very proud of
both boys as they have worked extremely hard
to get to this point.
10-28-07 Jay and Luka
participated in their first TDX test.
Although they started off well and made it
halfway through the track Luka lost his
concentration. <darn potty breaks> As it was
their first time ever in a TDX I thought
they both did extremely well and just need
to get a bit more test experience under
their belts. Watch for Jay and Luka to hit
the TDX tests in the spring as these 2 are
destined to get their title!
