[myluckypenny]

It's that time of year where I start thinking about the next years goals and how I'm going to achieve them. So I'm curious, what is everyone aiming for in 2023?

 

[Megora]

I hope I can finish my Jovi's CDX this year (one legged)... since I have him very well conditioned and working clean. But depends on both Jovi and I showing up with our brains in place the next couple trials. In which case, we will get that done next spring and start polishing for Utility. He knows all his utility exercises, but they are very rough (instilling phase).

Glee - I want to finish his CD (one legged) and get his CDX in short order. I have no concerns about CD, just need trials to enter where I'm not juggling both him and his brother. CDX he's somewhere between instilling skills and polishing phase right now. Things like getting him to keep his butt on the ground until I send him to retrieve, things like that. I

Same/usual goals in Conformation. I mainly need to get back to showing regularly. This year's been tough for getting my guys out + going out of state for the shows I want to do. Hope 2023 is a better year.

Anything else depends on whether or not I bring home a new baby pup... If new pup, I would be working on getting him (or her... but probably him) started on everything, which would take away extra time spent on misc. I kinda wanted to get both dogs into doing tracking - especially Glee because I think he would love it. He's already way too fast to work with his brother on tracks I lay out here at home.

 

[myluckypenny]

Anything else depends on whether or not I bring home a new baby pup... If new pup, I would be working on getting him (or her... but probably him) started on everything, which would take away extra time spent on misc. I kinda wanted to get both dogs into doing tracking - especially Glee because I think he would love it. He's already way too fast to work with his brother on tracks I lay out here at home.

New puppies are always fun, although very time-consuming. Tracking interests me too, just not enough time in the day right now. Definitely on my list to try someday though!

 

[myluckypenny]

My goals for 2023 are pretty boring, I will hopefully have two qual level dogs next spring so my goal will be running as many quals as I can. Everything else will take a backseat because I know my training schedule is going to be very intense. Rio was ready last summer to start running them, but with Burn in training I didn't have any extra money in the budget to travel for trials. Burn is done training after this winter trip (Jan-Apr) so we will be hitting the trial scene hard after that.

 

[GrandmaToGoldens]

I’d like Honey (my Brittany) to achieve her Obedience Championship in 2023. That would make her a Triple Champion, as she already has her conformation and Rally Championships. I hope she’ll also get her Scent Work Advanced title.

I hope to enter enter Eva (my Golden Retriever puppy) in her first Obedience competition in March. She’ll be 11 months old. She’s close to ready now and I did consider entering her in a competition next month, but she hasn’t had enough experience working in different places with other people and dogs around. She’s also still very much a puppy. She’s showing a lot of promise in tracking and scent work, so she may also debut in those, and in Track and Search (Urban Tracking).

 

[ceegee]

Duster is close to his AAC Versatility Lifetime award and we'll be working towards that. There's an outside chance that we could get it next year and if we're successful, he would be the first golden retriever in Canada to achieve it. Also, we'll be continuing with our rally obedience classes. Right now they are only for fun, but we might start competing later in the year if all goes well.

 

[xRoan]

I would like both of my boys to earn at least one Q towards a Senior title in hunt tests as well as at least one Q towards Advanced Rally. I think these will be easier for my younger dog than my older, but we'll see. Neither are ready for championship/nationals level event but hopefully in the future!

 

[AmberSunrise]

Goals for 2023

Aedan

• recently completed his RE, so I need to consider if I will train & compete in Master
• Earn his UD. We are working on proofing the exercises with pivots that might mean GO (Articles, gloves) versus pivots which mean stay in heel position. He can ‘stick’ on pivots where my feet are together as in a heeling halt.
• All other elements seem ready to go under most circumstances

Finch

• Needs 1 RA Q and then we will work towards her RE (Possibly RM)
• We are working on focus/engagement duration, especially during heeling. Once we have that we will enter the Open & then the Utility rings
• Finch is spayed now so I do not need to consider her cycle timings anymore

Wren

• Recently earned her RN, so RA and possibly RE in 2023
• All my mentors & friends encouraged me to enter her for BN and CD trials, luckily I did NOT enter her, since she went into season LOL So I should have 6 months to get her set up for that BN and CD before her next season. She will be 2 next year so it will be time for her clearances; remaining titles may need to be worked around seasons and possibly litters.
• She is doing well on her Open & Utility fundamentals and I am starting her Jump training which is also going well

General for me

• Work on my handling and make it smooth & consistent
• Workouts for sprinting & agility in case I decide Wren will go into agility (taking agility specific courses in addition to general strength/agility/running mechanic courses)
• Mental Management skill courses
• Courses on how to break down elements into their smallest components so I can best teach my dogs (currently working with both online and in person experts) while really focusing on engagement

Notes

I rarely post here so many of you may not know I lost my Brady. It was sudden, very sudden and completely unexpected. He was entered for Utility on a Sat (he NQ'd), at the E Vet the following Thu with a swelling behind his shoulder; he was euthanized on Fri (confirmed Thu night around 5p, Subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma with no way to remove the horrid mass via surgery) following a day of eating all kinds of things including BK bacon cheeseburger meals, hikes, swimming and a good bye get together with his most loved people . He was entered in 3 add’l trials after he died, one super scratched his entries upon notification and one ‘marked him absent’ although they were informed of his death (they also sent his numbers knowing he was dead).

I currently have no potential puppies coming into my household.

 

[Megora]

I’m so sorry about Brady, Sharon.

 

[myluckypenny]

I rarely post here so many of you may not know I lost my Brady.

I’m very sorry for your loss

 

[DevWind]

Pilot

Obedience - working on his UDX (0 legged) and qualifying for the classic. (He needs 1 more Utility leg before the cutoff date)
Rally - Hoping to earn his RACH. We're almost halfway there. I think it's achievable. Get into the RNC this year! He has everything he needs to enter the Champion class.
Field - Looking for a field title. Probably JH.

Winx

My granddaughter has decided that she doesn't want to do 4-H so Winx is my girl again and she's LOVING it! She will be 8 next year, but you wouldn't know it by how she acts.

Obedience - Just get in the ring with her again and possibly show in Grad Open or Utility.
FastCAT - Get her FCAT (It's her favorite thing in the world!)
Rally - Maybe get in the ring again a couple of times.

We will continue to do all the things as long as she wants to do them.

 

[KellyH]

My darling Bronte passed away Oct 7 just shy of her 12th birthday (Nov. 28), from a meningioma. I'm so heartbroken but have already begun the search for a new puppy and am on some wait lists - so my goal right now is to bring home a new puppy sometime in 2023!

 

[aesthetic]

Next year will be entirely dedicated to Eden. I lost Kaizer in September and he took a lot of my time/attention/money, so I’m glad to be able to focus on her. We did meet SOME of our goals for this year though!

Next year, I want her RA (she’s 1 leg away from her RI - which I did because she got her RN in three trials and I’d like more practice). I’d like to focus more on agility though in hopes that I can maybe debut her by the end of 2023. We specifically need to work on her a-frame and weaves because I decided to teach them differently with her (running contact and 2x2s).

Tentatively, I’d like to try for her CD by the end of 2023, but that realistically may be a 2024 goal depending on if we try showing her in conformation and if I have the $$$ for that on top of everything.

Currently not planning for a puppy in 2023. Eden was 7 months when Kaizer got sick (and almost 2.5 when he passed!), so she really deserves a lot of solo time.

 

[Megora]

So.... just found out that one of my entries for next month had to be returned because the trial had exceeded limits for that day. Good sign and news for the sport. But means my goals are shifting over to 2023 to finish CDX.

 

[DevWind]

So.... just found out that one of my entries for next month had to be returned because the trial had exceeded limits for that day. Good sign and news for the sport. But means my goals are shifting over to 2023 to finish CDX.

That’s too bad. Trial in Michigan? I entered an open/utility only trial and haven’t heard back. Entries closed yesterday. Goldens have priority so my fingers are crossed!

 

[Megora]

That’s too bad. Trial in Michigan? I entered an open/utility only trial and haven’t heard back. Entries closed yesterday. Goldens have priority so my fingers are crossed!

Yep - last MI trial of 2022. Judges were very nice so I'd been hoping to get in. So we sit tight until Feb or March next year.

The trial secretary encouraged me to enter their trials in April and I said "sure, if you bring the same judges back!" <= Completely forgetting they already have the judges set up and the one judge is somebody I would be very careful about showing to (no negatives about her judging, just that we train in the same classes so it feels weird). 🤷‍♀️

 

[DevWind]

Yep - last MI trial of 2022. Judges were very nice so I'd been hoping to get in. So we sit tight until Feb or March next year.

The trial secretary encouraged me to enter their trials in April and I said "sure, if you bring the same judges back!" <= Completely forgetting they already have the judges set up and the one judge is somebody I would be very careful about showing to (no negatives about her judging, just that we train in the same classes so it feels weird). 🤷‍♀️

Thought maybe that was the case. Is Dayton too far? They have trials on the first weekend on the new year. Entered Pilot in rally Saturday and obedience Sunday. Ihonestly only have a couple of judges I don’t show to. If you get the chance to show to Alvin Eng, do it! He’s great! I also don’t show to people I train with.

 

[Goldhill]

If you get the chance to show to Alvin Eng, do it!

I will always remember showing to Alvin Eng because it was by far the worst time in the ring with my girl who had completely shut down, and he was simply the kindest and nicest person the entire time. He encouraged me to have her follow through with every single exercise and by the very end she was able to bring back a correct article and we ended on a good note. I think most other judges would have lost patience with my frozen dog but he was just wonderful!

My 2023 goals are to get said dog's final UD leg if she doesn't get it in December, then retire her in obedience and start tracking.

I hope to get my boy's UD and maybe even UDX in 2023!

 

[DevWind]

I will always remember showing to Alvin Eng because it was by far the worst time in the ring with my girl who had completely shut down, and he was simply the kindest and nicest person the entire time. He encouraged me to have her follow through with every single exercise and by the very end she was able to bring back a correct article and we ended on a good note. I think most other judges would have lost patience with my frozen dog but he was just wonderful!

My 2023 goals are to get said dog's final UD leg if she doesn't get it in December, then retire her in obedience and start tracking.

I hope to get my boy's UD and maybe even UDX in 2023!

I showed to him in Rally. He very sweetly told me that my dog was perfect, but I messed up! I worked with him at the NOC all day this year and he sat with us at lunch. Such a nice guy! He's from California so clubs in my area can't really afford to hire him.

Good luck with the UD! I've gone and titled my way right out of the 3 leg titles now! I'm on 10 and 20 leg titles.

 

[PalouseDogs]

I greatly enjoy reading other people’s goal. So happy to see people getting out, training their dogs and aiming high. Goldens are the number one OB dog in AKC trials, second in retriever hunt test and field trials, and rank surprisingly high in agility. None of that means they train themselves, though!

Pinyon

The last couple of years, OB has been my priority, followed by hunt training on weekends in spring, and agility running a distance third. Pinyon has shown a surprising aptitude and enjoyment of agility,. I had a ton of agility equipment that I’d mostly purchased around 20 years ago when I had a gazelle-like poodle. After she developed a career-ending disease, I had a series of dogs poorly suited for agility. I was thinking of selling all my agility equipment, but thought I’d just see how Pinyon did. Last summer, I got his official height card. He measured the critical 22”, meaning I could jump him in 16” preferred. He is starting agility at 6.5 years; I would not have done AKC if he had to jump 20 inches.

He got his NAP (standard Novice Agility Preferred) in his first two weekends and 2 legs of his Novice Jumpers. It gets a lot harder in Open, but I find myself getting more and more drawn to agility. My big challenge is to handle at a distance, since I am 65 and not great at thinking or moving fast on my feet. We are learning together.

My goals for Pinyon are to work on his OTCH2, pick up Rally QQQ legs when it doesn’t interfere too much with OB, and move forward in agility. I’m focused more on improving my handling and our teamwork than particular titles. I’ll get together with my hunt training group and maybe enter a couple more Master hunt tests, but the logistics of hunt training and testing are so challenging, it’s sliding way behind agility.

Hawthorn

Before I got Pinyon, I used to joke that I wanted a dog that did NOT make me a better trainer. Pinyon was that dog. He is easy to train and a joy to work with. Hawthorn is bringing me back to earth. He is forcing me to become a better trainer. His biggest issue is that he freezes up if he feels I’m disappointed. I’m not even talking about after a mild correction. Just a “Let’s try that again”. If Pinyon doesn’t do something right, he is always willing to keep trying. Not Hawthorn! So, he’s forced me to try new strategies for a dog that lacks confidence. On the plus side, once he understand something, he seems to generalize much better than most dogs. He is also extremely athletic. He jumps like a jack rabbit. He has a shorter back than Pinyon, which tends to (in my experience) make it easier to get those all-important straight fronts and finishes for OB. He is 1.5 years old now. I showed him in OB for the first time this fall. He picked up a couple of BN legs and an RN leg. This winter, I plan to put a lot of training effort into OB so, hopefully, he’ll be trained through Open and mostly trained through Utility by spring and I can quickly get through Novice and maybe Open in spring, and then pick up Rally legs while we keep working on Utility. In agility, I have to build up his confidence. He falls apart easily, although he is certainly much more suited physically to agility than Pinyon.

Future dogs?

I have one more year of work before I retire at the end of 2023. I’m figuring I have time for two more puppies in my life, although I might have to do the unthinkable and get two close together. I would like to downsize, but cannot decide which breed. The top choices are a small standard poodle or a working English Cocker (“wocker”}. I’ve joined a couple of wocker FB groups. I have at least a year to think about it, since I don’t want another puppy until I retire.