The Adventures of Mookie the Mudi

Titles earned this month....    AKC Scent Work Scent Work Container Novice (SCN) Scent Work Buried Novice (SBN) Scent Work Novice (SWN) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?  (...a must read!)  November photos are in this album!  November videos are added to this album! More doin', less writin' this month... Maybe it's because I see the cold weather approaching and want to get out before it really hits!!   Our first trial this month was an AKC Scent Work trial at the Cudahy Kennel Club.  They offered only container and exterior searches so Mook had 8 total novice searches over 2 days and qualified in all of them!! This earned him a Scent Work Container Novice title !!    We seem to be out and about a lot!  Visits to 3 Hounds (no swimming), Lowes to sniff around the Christmas decorations, new places for practicing scent work (such fun!) and crazy fast runs with Rhys!  Most of the agility equipment is away so he has the whole yard to run through and w

Titles earned this month....    UKC NOSEWORK Novice Exterior (NE) Novice Container (NC) Novice Interior (NI) Novice Vehicle (NV) Novice Nosework (NN) AKC Scent Work Scent Work Interior Novice (SIN) Scent Work Exterior Novice (SEN) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?  (...a must read!)  October photos are in this album! October videos are added to this album! October was a bittersweet month. Lots of good things happening but centered in the middle of the month was Jake's passing   which I documented also on Facebook .   He was 13 and ready but I'm not sure Mookie was.  After it happened, Mookie stuck like glue to me for the first week but then started doing things more independently.  All of a sudden he had access to the whole house.  Previously, I kept them separated because Mookie tried to play and Jake wanted to but physically couldn't.  There would be stretches of time that we were all in the kitchen which was Jake's hangout and Mookie woul

Mookie started out life in the United States with a harness!!  Why, you ask?  Well, when you pick up a black puppy at night from the cargo area of O'Hare airport in Chicago, you don't want to lose him!  Friends lent me a puppy harness and the first one was slipped on him along with a Whistle GPS tracker as he came out of the crate he traveled in.  Apparently it was pretty comfortable because it didn't hinder his sleep in his new home in the states at all!      Next he graduated to a slightly larger red harness that was similar to the original one.  That lasted for a bit but then I bought him an orange harness with more hooks that ended up being my favorite so much so that when that got too small I bought the next size up that he still wears as an adult today! And then there was water to deal with... swimming and rain!  He still doesn't realize (at 9 months old) that swimming will make him really happy when he can do dock diving!  Regardless, he didn't mind the li

June 2022 Each Wednesday and Thursday we go to Winnegamie Dog Club because I help out at rally classes..  We show up early and open up, checking out all the rooms as we go.  Sometimes we do platform or disk exercises and those activities are giving his a solid basis for RALLY and OBEDIENCE. In addition to doing the following exercises at home we work on them at the club: Heeling - Left and right turns Position changes (sit//lie down/on your feet) Up-up on a platform and if platform is long enough then backing up. Recalls and restrained recalls Circles and spins and fancy fun stuff Toy play with tugs and balls and bags

June 2022: Click here for Mookie's Rally journey! Yes, RALLY is a DOG sport! We will be starting with AKC Rally , however, UKC Rally Obedience   could be in the future also.  In Rally, a dog and their handler move together through a course made up of 10-20 signs. Each sign displays a skill to perform such as turns or behaviors like sit, down, or stay. The dog and handler work together and should show a sense of teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the course.    The AKC offers 4 Rally Titles: RN (Rally Novice) 10-15 signs, on leash (3 qualifying runs) RA (Rally Advanced) 12-17 signs, off leash  (3 qualifying runs) RE (Rally Excellent) 15-20 signs, off leash, 2 jumps  (3 qualifying runs) RM (Rally Master) 15-20 signs, off leash, 1 jump (10 qualifying runs) RAE (Rally Advanced Excellent). For the RN, RA, and RE titles, an exhibitor and his dog must earn 3 qualifying scores from two different judges at the appropriate level (Novice, Advanced, or Excellent). Other sports we plan to do

Titles earned this month....    BARN HUNT RATI (Rat Instinct) (certificate) RATN (Rat Novice)   (certificate) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?  (...a must read!) September photos are in this album! September videos are added to this album! September started off with a great Labor Day weekend!  We did some SCENT WORK with friends, Mookie got to run with his bestie, Rhys, and he had another DOCK DIVING lesson!! This time we worked on swimming back in from a very short distance in the water and back up the ramp.  He actually started swimming rather than trying to keep his feet on the ramp and then he would grab his toy and run around on the deck.  (update on swimming...  did it another time this month and now will hold off a bit until spring maybe.) BARN HUNT !!  Yep it started!  Instinct (RATI) and Novice (RATN) titles!  Such fun! He got better each day and got 4 of 6 novice legs this weekend!  More info plus videos here! We do lots of leash walking in 2

Titles earned this month (hopefully this will be a regular heading!) : IABCA NatBACH  (National Baby Champion) IntBACH  (International Baby Champion) HBACH  (Honors Baby Champion) AKC  VHMP    (Virtual Home Manners Puppy) VHMA (Virtual Home Manners Adult) TKN  (Trick Dog Novice) TDI   (Trick Dog Intermediate) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?   (...a must read!) August started off with the IABCA Conformation Show  and the best thing is to just link to the details !     Then, about the same time, the Hungarian Kennel Club released Mookie's paperwork after sitting on it for a month so now I'm able to apply for an AKC and UKC registration number!  This means that he can start doing age appropriate activities (manners, tricks, scent work) and earn some titles!    AKC...  most communication with the AKC takes forever or never happens.  Not this time.  4 working days after I emailed them the application for a number I got it!  (subject to final verificat