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TKR Smarttoys recovery

You are right, there are a lot of plans on the internet for making agility obstacles. Formufit PVC fittings are nice to work with because you can find almost any kind of fitting you want. You can use hardware store fittings to start with. Just make sure you have loose jump bars so they fall when hit. Early on I made all PVC weave poles too. Later on I made flat metal bases for them when Buddy got faster at the weaves. Then I built some contact obstacles out of wood. This picture is from around two years ago. Now my whole back yard is full of agility equipment. Makes it challenging to mow the grass.

[Bonesmart.org] Smarttoys recovery
 
Wow!! Great yard! We have only done tunnel, weave, table, ladder, small jumps, walking on a plank, and a round thing made from black drain pipe - a tire sub? Thanks! I see it as something to keep Charlie active and FOCUSED - hard with all the rabbits out now! Thanks for the picture.
 
So, as some of you may or may not know I had all these big plans to do a lot of hiking and biking this spring but once I started back to work and with all of life's other activities I didn't get out as much as I would have liked. I finally got some nice hiking in this week at a state park close to us. I went on Monday and again this morning before work. I lost track of time and got to work a little late but it was worth it. There are some pretty steep rocky climbs and then of course some loose and rocky descents. My knee handled it all very well. Even with the two big dogs in tow. I have to admit, they did help pull me up the steep parts a little bit. On the steepest climbs I sent the kids to the top and had them call the dogs one at a time so I could take my time getting to the top. Without having to hold onto the dog's leashes while they leap up onto the ledges in front of me.

Here's a nice picture from my hike overlooking the Mississippi River Valley.

[Bonesmart.org] Smarttoys recovery
 
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Congratulations on fulfilling a dream of TKR success. it feels good to finally do something without pain I am sure.
 
Buddy and I had a good day at the agility trials today. We entered six events and did well in five of them. Five qualifying runs, one first place, three second place, and one third place. Not to mention one worn out dog. My knee still gets a little sore after running around the agility course but I can run, turn, and pivot as fast as I need to get around the course. I'm happy with my progress. Now that I am getting further along in the healing process maybe I can concentrate on more training with Buddy. There are a lot of things we both need to work on.

Someone at the trial offered to let my daughter run their dog in one event today. She did great. A qualifying run with a first place finish. I was so proud of her.

[Bonesmart.org] Smarttoys recovery
 
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Buddy is wonderful and I'm sure a joy to you! He is beautiful.
 
Great to see both you and your dog out there doing so well at the agility trials.
 
Congratulations to you, your daughter, and Buddy.
You're all doing so well at the dog trials - and so is your new knee. :happydance::yay::dancy:
 
Well done John! Congratulations to your daughter too! Buddy is really a star. It is always heartening to read how well you are doing, as well as, your struggles - that makes me feel like I am doing ok. I don't think I have asked you how old Buddy is? Continued good luck to you, your daughter, and Buddy.
 
Thank you all for the kind words.

Janis, Buddy is 4 years old. I'm not sure how much longer we will get to compete. I think I've mentioned before that he isn't built well for agility and he has already had one surgery on his right rear leg to correct a luxating patella. I have questions about some of his other joints too. I'm keeping a close eye on him. We will continue to do agility as long as he is having fun and isn't in pain. The same goes for me.
 
Hi John. (@smarttoys ) How are you doing? I know it is 10 months for me now and you are coming up on your ten month anniversary. How is Buddy and how is your daughter doing with her agility?
 
Hi Janis, @Timetolive

How are things going for you? Any new developments with the knee? Are things settling down with your stomach/digestion issues? How's Charlie doing?

For me, things are going pretty well. I still have some swelling and discomfort when I've been too active. Which is most of the time. I did a lot of walking, hiking, biking, fishing, agility training, agility competing, and some dirt bike riding this summer. Most of which can be hard on a new knee. Now that fall is coming I will be hitting the gym again. I can't really complain, I can do much more than I did before my surgery with less pain.

I've competed at several more agility trials this summer. Our most recent one was last weekend. I'm averaging around one competition a month. Buddy got all qualifying runs and all first place finishes at the last two trials and earned a couple new titles. We are slowly moving up into the higher levels. It will be harder to get good finishes and qualifying runs in the higher levels. He isn't a fast dog but I have to give him credit for being consistent.

My daughter has been training Sam our Maltipoo. She competed with him this weekend in two events for the first time this year. She did really well and they earned one qualifying run and one first place ribbon. He tried to run out of the ring on his first run of the day and they got disqualified. If she keeps up on the training I think they could do really well eventually.
 
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John, that is wonderful for your daughter! Congratulations on Buddy and your's wins too! It is great for you two to have this shared experience. For you to keep up with Buddy is a win too. Charlie passed his first obedience course (I THINK I did too! Hahaha) and we had signed up for the next class - it would lead to the CGC test and Therapy Dog test. Right after the first class, my husband's mother died and we had to leave for Arkansas for two weeks for the funeral and to clean out her house. While we were gone, my daughter kept Charlie and GiGi (cat). There was a doggy daycare next door to her work, so we thought this would be a perfect solution. The other dogs in Charlie's group included two dogs that had aggression issues and they would mount Charlie most of the day. He spent most of his day hiding outside in the 100 plus heat laying on concrete. We could witness all of this on their "doggy daycams". Needless to say, we called and called, my daughter went over on her lunch hour complaining. They said he would eventually snap back at them. But, as we tried to explain to them, Charlie is a very shy and timid dog. They moved him to the indoor room with the tiny dogs and he was happy. He slept most of the day in the A/C. If you remember, when we first got Charlie, he was so timid that it took us 3 weeks to get a tail wag. Anyway, he reverted back and we had to win him over again. It didn't take as long, but he seems to have forgotten some of his commands - or chooses to! I dropped him back to the beginner obedience class and start that today. He continues to be a very loving dog, although Beagle stubborn. No solid recall out of the yard.

My knee, as yours, does swell with activity. That is uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as before surgery. I am walking more and riding my recumbent bike each day. Resting seems to help, but sitting with it bent - at a desk when I work - makes it swell and get stiff. All in all, I find it continues to improve. It is truly a long recovery. I ran into my PT and he said they can swell for 12-18 months. The stomach is another matter that hampers life. THAT is one thing from my TKR surgery I will never be happy about. Thanks for asking.

Enjoy Buddy and your new knee!
 
Janis, @Timetolive That's too bad about the daycare. Hopefully you can get Charlie back on track. Unfortunately things like that happen a lot. A good daycare would have taken action on their own. I have seen some well behaved and happy dogs develop fear and aggression issues that were caused by taking them to a daycare that wasn't a good match for them. Fortunately when I do need to board my dogs, the owner knows me well and gives them their own private play yard and a quiet kennel area.
 
I thought I would give a quick update on my recovery. I haven't been posting in my thread lately since I don't really have anything new to report. I'm back to doing everything I could do before my surgery and much more. My knee still gets a little sore when I overdo things and I overdo things most of the time. Hiking, biking, motorcycle riding, dog agility, etc. My knee usually feels really good after a weekend of running around at an agility trial.

I attended about 8 agility trials last year. The latest one being last weekend. The facility was a 2 1/2 hour drive each way so that made for a couple long days with 5 hours of driving each day. Since I don't have any trials close to home anymore I have to venture further away. I have tentative plans for around 8-10 trials this year.

Last weekend's agility trial went well after we shook out the cobwebs and got used to the new facility. 10 qualifying runs out of 13 and another new novice title. Now that I can run full speed again it helps in speeding up my dog which is something I have been working on lately.

[Bonesmart.org] Smarttoys recovery
 
Wow! Good to hear you're doing so well, John! Congratulations to you and your furry friend!
 
It's great to hear that you and Buddy are doing so well, John. :yes!: :happydance: :dancy:
 
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