Happy New Year! I was looking over the site today, and it occurred to me that, since I'm working with the litter of malinois Mike and Petra have on the ground now, I could technically write up at least a few real training journal entries per month now. Obviously, the pups I'm working with are not mine, and most of them already have homes to go to. But that's one of the great things about working with the litter like I am; I get exposure to the various puppy personalities, instead of just knowing one dog- my dog.

The puppies are 4 months old now. I have been working with them for the last few weeks, handling them in the Saturday classes, as well as during the week when I had the opportunity. Right now, we're focusing on building a foundation, and the puppies have had exposure to the agility equipment as well as tracking.

Our agility course is very interesting, because it incorporates a variety of natural obstacles that a dog might encounter in a real working situation. Some notable obstacles include an old car and a trailer for performing simulated building searches. The pups are currently being worked on a "walk-over" designed so that the handler will maneuver the obstacle with the dog. There is a crude ladder about six or seven feet tall, positioned near perpendicular to the ground. The uneven planks are a challenge to climb.