Goodbye 2014! Welcome 2015!

2014 has ended, and I look forward to embracing 2015 with all the opportunities that lie ahead. On this day, I always stop and look back at the past year as I am preparing to enter the year to come. I will offer to take you through a journey with ups and downs, it is up to you to join me. It is hard to know where to start with this eventful year. A year ago, I promised myself to make this the year to follow my dreams, and start building a future I believe in. In retrospect, I believe I have succeeded. At the very least, it is a beginning.

 

In January, I started a course to become a canine instructor. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and through this process, I have learned so much about myself, dogs and how to work with them. I have also gained a great group of new friends that I hope to keep in touch with for years to come. For this course, I trained my dog, Diva in basic obedience and together we grew together. She taught me a lot about training dogs, outside of the course, and I feel I have become a lot wiser about how to adjust methods to fit the individual dog – to get the most out of the training. In November I passed the exam, and now I can call myself a canine instructor!

 

A lot of my world revolve around dogs. It is not only a passion, but also a lifestyle. They truly make my life richer and gives meaning of life a completely new dimension. At least for me. Some things you can plan for, and other things you just have to go with the flow. Before 2014 I started working towards becoming a breeder of Portugese Water Dogs and Chinese Cresteds. I had been planning for some time to expand my pack and early in 2014 I was blessed with my dog Frøken. Her breeder, Laila Erlandsen, graciously allowed me to get part-ownership of her. Frøken is truly one of the most amazing dogs I have ever seen. To me, she is a very complete dog, with a strong personality and the looks to go with it.

 

Surely, I did not plan for my pack to expand at the rate is has this year, but for all those who have had their doubts about this: it is really working out. I have been very conscious of the individuals to enter my pack, not to get any conflicts or to disturb the balance between the existing dogs. In August I was fortunate to include Maja in my pack. She is a beautiful soul, which have had an amazing development during the time she has been here. She has become more outgoing towards people and other dogs and she has even come as far as to compete in freestyle! Maja and I share a strong bond now, and I am really looking forward to 2015 with her, as she also (hopefully) will be the mother of my kennel’s first litter.

 

Gorgeous little Kelly, also a Chinese Crested like Maja, came into my life this fall. The ones who meet her very easily adore her. She’s got an attitude about her that makes her really special to me. She has some exciting bloodlines for breeding as well and I am very excited to work with her in the future. She really holds her own with the other dogs in the pack, and they respect her boundaries.

 

Finally, Astro, my dream of a white Portie, came into my life. Sometimes you have a gut feeling that something is right. This is the feeling I had about Astro. Surely, I did not get a dog based on a feeling, but I simply could not let this opportunity pass. Today, when he has been with me for some weeks I can look at my pack and see that it is really working out. Astro really gets along well with my other male, Raio, and respects him when he says “enough is enough”. I could not be more proud of Raio. He is really the best male pack leader I could have. He plays with the other dogs and teaches them the rules and boundaries as well.

 

Rikke, my dear and sweet Queen is keeping a watchful eye over them all. At the age of 11.5, she never ceases to amaze me. She became a Swedish champion this summer, and she is so playful and active – her age considering. She is great at teaching “the kids” that she is THE ONE to listen to, and she makes herself very clear about that right from the beginning. Oh, my dear, sweet Rikke.

 

In 2014 I got a new job. Still as a teacher, but I got the opportunity to follow my dreams about teaching at a higher level. In some ways it feels like “coming home” as this is something I have always dreamt of. One of my greatest wishes for 2015 is to be able to continue in this job.

 

Several times through 2014, people have asked me how I find time for it all: work, the dogs, knitting and meeting friends. Sure, it is a hectic life, but it is all quite simple. With structure, planning and a great deal of passion – it works. It gives my life meaning and purpose. People have asked me about my love life and doubted that I’ll ever have time for a boyfriend. They have asked me if I even miss it, and sure I do. I am human as everybody else, and I miss someone to share my life with, and to take part in theirs. Even about this, I choose to be very optimistic for 2015. Sometimes you just know, even if you can’t explain it. You just know.

 

All of 2014 I have lived in my house and bit by bit it is coming together. My garden got a brand new fence for the dogs, I have started to lay the laminate flooring in the ground floor, two new veranda doors, some painting and the dog/grooming room is finally in use. It is a great place to live and that really hit me again tonight, on New Year’s Eve. Mum visited with her dog and my sister’s dog and it was really a great experience for all the eight dogs that were present. No stress, no anxiety and no worries whatsoever. The neighbours were ever so considerate and I am grateful for that.

 

So far it all looks like a picture perfect year, but like with so many other things, there is always other sides to the story. I have faced some though challenges as well. My back has given me trouble. A grueling case has clouded my days this fall, after I sold my car. Some people I used to consider dear friends have started to keep their distance. Uncertainty about the future at work is also quite difficult. Dealing with anxiety and depression has been the toughest challenge of them all. But is has also made me grow as a human. Not only in kilos (blah…) but in experience and outlook on life. I have made a few choices for myself and I have acknowledged a few things. I have gotten better at how to use my energy on things that I can manage, instead of worrying about things that are out of my control. I have chosen to take a more positive outlook on life as it really makes life so much better.

 

As this blog is coming to its end I want to thank every single family member and friend for all the memories from 2014, and I really look forward to creating new memories with each and every one of you.

 

I wish you all, a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Majas debut

Sitter igjen med noen betraktninger etter helgens debut for Maja i Kreativ lydighet. Her kommer jeg som en annen grønnskolling med et program jeg har jobbet med i ca to uker. Ja, for vi har faktisk ikke fått jobbet lenger med det grunnet andre ting på kalenderen. Med lettere panikk for at programmet ikke var godt nok, eller krisemaksimering over hva som KAN skje på banen, så kom vi oss av gårde for å stille til start i Drammen på vår første offisielle konkurranse.

Tankene svirret i hodet og jeg tenkte på hvordan jeg best kunne forberede Maja og meg på starten. Nervene var i høyspenn og frokosten ble inntatt nærmere 12. Kroppen protesterte høylytt på det presset jeg la på meg selv. Redsel for å tabbe seg ut, glemme programmet eller at Maja ville vise seg som den bestemte damen hun er og gå ut av ringen.

Så feil kan en ta. Med en hund som var tent og virkelig ville jobbe, så stilte vi til start. Programmet ble til under banevandringa, så ærlig skal jeg være, men det gikk ganske så bra og vi kom oss gjennom. En hederlig innsats, om jeg skal si det selv. Det ble 3. plass og første napp til klasse 2. Ikke dårlig for en debut.

Så kommer betraktningene. Noen vil kanskje si at selv om det er et bra resultat, at det ikke er vanskelig å oppnå i sammenheng med nivået på deltagere. Sagt med andre ord: hvordan er egentlig nivået når det er mulig med et så godt resultat på første forsøk? Jeg kjenner nemlig en person som ville ha sagt noe slikt. Til det vil jeg bare svare: Det er et høyt nivå selv i klasse 1 og det er mange som har jobbet lenge for å komme dit de er i dag. Pluss at det er tross alt hunder vi har med å gjøre, ikke maskiner, og de har gode dager og dårlige dager de som alle andre. I går hadde både jeg og Maja en god dag.

Det bringer meg også over til en annen betraktning. Selv om Maja og jeg ikke har kjent hverandre så lenge, så handler det å konkurrere i kreativ lydighet også om noe annet. Det handler ikke om antall poeng eller antall triks hunden kan. Det er ikke det som er viktigst, selv om det selvfølgelig KAN være en kul greie. Det jeg har lært om kreativ lydighet nå i helga er at det er en prosess. Det handler om å ta utgangspunkt i den hunden du har og gjøre beste ut av det. Tenke på hva som er hundens sterke og svake sider, og legge opp programmet deretter. Samtidig som en må "være forberedt på det uforberedte" - det å kunne improvisere i en konkurranse ut fra dagsformen til hunden. For å holde hundens motivasjon oppe gjennom programmet, så er det ingenting i veien for å legge inn favoritttrikset slik at det passer til programmet.

Få ting er vondere å se på i ringen, enn hunder som ikke trives. Hunder som viser med STORE BOKSTAVER at dette ikke er gøy, men de gjør det kun fordi de elsker eieren over alt på jord. Da foretrekker jeg faktisk å se en hund som bobler over av glede i ringen. Jeg vil mye heller jobbe med en sprudlende og glad hund, enn en som helst ville ha vært et annet sted. Been there, done that. Jeg har en teori om at en hund som trives, vil komme lengre i konkurranser enn en hund som ikke gjør det.

Men det er nå meg, da.

God jul og godt nytt år til FS-folket - vi sees til neste år!