Hi Everyone
The competitions for the most part are done for 2011 and now it is technically the “OFFSEASON”. Well is it really the offseason? Well some of my fellow disc doggers go back to working with some of their other non disc dog related sports, Agility, Flyball, Rally, Obedience etc. Myself I really do not participate in those other sports. This is the time of the year where I have to really catch up with other things I need to do around the house and property non disc dogging related stuff my wife tells me I have to do. Smiles.
But it is ok to take the disc away from the dog a little bit. Or you this is a good time to work on their conditioning with other activities like Chuck It Ball or running etc. Or you can do disc dogging drills, jumping drills, disc catching drills. This could be the time of the year when you saw that cool throw you wanted to learn now is the time to learn and have it ready for the next competition season.
It is time to start looking and preparing the Calendar schedule for 2012. Disc dogging has grown so much now if we wanted to we could compete almost every month of the year and many weekends a month. I used to try to go to as many competitions as I possibly could and my wife would let me.
Over time I have learned this possibly at times could be too much for a dog. You need to keep your pups fresh for competitions and there is a fine line as too how many is too many or too little and how to work the timing out to have both your dog and yourself peaked at the right time. I dont know that answer everyones has to be a little different.
But over time I have learned Quality of Practice is much better then Quantity of practice.
I hope everyone has a blessed Holiday season with their pups and families and friends.

Wow

 This year flew by.  The Champions of 2011 have been crowned and there are numerous new ones. On the home front it was a a fun season.

 We got to Travel to Madrid Spain, The Canary Islands, Paris France, Buenes Aires Argentina,Puebla Mexico and finish the 2011 season in San Diego California.

 We competed at numerous locations. All four dogs qualified for different World Championships in Different Categories.

 Rocket had a strong season, actually competing in three different World Championship qualifiers and won all three of them in the different organizations formats which shows a lot for Rockets great ability to adapt.

 Rocket also won a National Championship at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. And also at the Skyhoundz World Championships Rocket had the second highest combined freestyle scores of the World Championships.

 Gipper had another great run. Competing in two World Championships this year.  Gipper also had the highest combined freestyle scores at the Skyhoundz  World Championships. He also did very good at the AWI World CHampionships.

 Irish qualified for the Skyhoundz World Championship and even finished with a top ten finish in the World in expert freestyle. Irish also qualified in a few more different events.

Wow Times flys by, It was over 20 plus years ago the greatest man I ever knew tragically and unexpectantly passed away at young age. It was my father and he had his second heart attack and he knew after the first one he was not supposed to smoke anymore but he did it his way.
But to be so priviledged to have this Man as my father for as long as I did was very special. This was a Man that everybody looked up to, He had the appeal of being indestructible and a person that everyone Loved and wanted to be around. This man as father would push you at times harder then anything you had ever done in your life before he wanted you to be succesful in everything you ever did no matter what it was. He expected perfection and if you were competing against someone then when you were competing against them they were the enemy but as soon as the competition is over he said you better shake their hand and be their best friend.
This is a man who served in the United States Army and probably could have been a professional baseball player but chose to serve the country he loved so much. This is a man who was awarded a ton of medals including two purple hearts which means he shed his own blood so we could enjoy the freedoms we enjoy this day.
Everytime I take the competition field no matter what still twenty plus years later after his passing I think about him and ask him to watch over me and guide me safely in what I am doing.
This is a man who had a incredible passion for Dogs also. He loved Dogs so greatly. We all knew he loved my mother more then anything in the world but we also remember how he always had a dog with him at his side. We remember it was shortly after what we think was one of his alltime favorite dogs passed away that shortly after that he passed away.
He used to always tell me that a Dog is truly Mans best friend and they love they give back to us is unconditional no matter what.
When it came time to lay him to rest I remember coming to the funeral home for his service and it was packed and there was actually people standing out in the lobby it was so packed. I remember them laying him to rest to the Notre Dame Fight Song. Then I remember the long drive to Andersonville National Cemetary where he was laid to rest with Full Military Honors. Many Military personnel came over from Fort Benning to perform the proper full honors buriel including Taps and a 21 Gun Salute.
My father Ralph William Muir was a True American Hero.
GOD BLESS HIM
Laid to Rest October 5th

Hi Everyone

 Well the Finals season of all the different disc dogging organizations are underway.

A few weeks ago it all started with the Skyhoundz World Championships in Chattanooga Tennessee. Well this year Skyhoundz with their major sponsor Hyperflite (discs and other related disc dogging products) put on a incredible event.

 But it actually started early in the week. This year Skyhoundz added Disc Dog a Thon (Basically a lot of mini disc dogging events,winner takes all and earns a berth for their winner take all a event and a shot at competing for a Worlds Best Title) And also Skyhoundz introduced extreme Distance this year also ( Four different categories with also a seperate Mens and Womans Division for each of the four also)

Skyhoundz had last chance qualifiers for all of these events allowing everyone plenty of chances to play with their dogs this week.

Then after all these events were complete came the Much Anticipated Last Chance Friday Qualifier ( I have heard over the years that many consider this one of the toughest events of the year) Always full of some of the best talent in the world trying to snag one of the valuable last spots in the Skyhoundz World Championships in one their finals World Championships Categories.