Noordelijk Enterprises, Inc. ~ Professional Dog Training Services

GAGE

Born August 10, 2001 - 18" at the Withers and 35 pounds

Gage came to Kris with a shoulder injury and never had the physical soundness needed to be a performance sport dog. Kris' main goal with Gage was to give him a happy home and rehabilitate his shoulder injury that plagued him from a very young age. Gage is a sweet and sensitive boy who really enjoys being with people, but wasn't able to run or play with the other dogs due to his injury. Gage has a sensitive nature and can be cautious at first when meeting someone new, but then warms up and enjoys human interaction.

Now at over 5 years old, Gage seems to be much healthier and more sound due to the careful attention placed on his exercise program, diet and physical therapy. Gage now walks and runs without a limp and seems to have no more residual pain that used to keep him sidelined from fun dog activities. Although he's a bit on the chunky side, he does love to eat and his daily supplements probably add to the extra weight. Now that he can move without limping, Kris will continue to swim him in her pool and pond to gain greater strength and help him lose weight.

Just recently, one of Kris' students asked if she could train Gage in agility. What a wonderful opportunity for both Gage and Dr. Nancy Lubell to learn agility together.

Nancy has two agility cavaliers and has just recently decided to give them a break in their training, but she wanted to continue learning so Gage is now her new agility partner.

After their first lesson which consisted of learning to use the clicker and doing some basic flat work, Gage and Nancy seem to be having a wonderful time training together.

Gage has only the basics in obedience and manages nicely in a pack of 9 dogs so he has great social skills but is a blank slate as far as it comes to agility training. Within a one hour training session, Gage learned that working for the clicker was great fun and since Nancy is already an experienced trainer, Kris believes Gage will flourish under her guidance.