Need a Training Partner? Get a Dog!

In 2006, I got my first black lab “Diego,” he was my gateway to venturing out on a mountain bike. He was an 18-month-old rescue, that was high-energy and a destroyer of all things he could get his mouth around. I decided to get a rescue dog after watching many episodes of “Dog Whisper. I also read Caesar Milan’s book, “Caesar’s Way.” And using Caesar’s methods, I was able to train Diego to be a cool dog that I could take anywhere.

He needed to release a lot of energy daily and I was short on time to walk him for the time he needed. He needed to go fast but I hated running, so I trained him to run alongside me on my bike. After several months of daily rides, I noticed my pants getting looser and my weight dropping. The only change I made was adding in a daily 30 – 60 minute ride. With a little consistency, I became more cardiovascular fit and I was starting to turn into an endurance athlete. After a few months of paved path riding my friends introduced me to the Sandia Foothills. I had so much fun on the trails I starting taking Diego out with me in the cooler hours of the day.

I am a Mountain Biker

I decided to dive deep into the mountain biking scene from 2007-2013. This led me to participate in several races every year. In 2008, I joined a great team of cyclists, “Mountain Top Cycling.” My current bike skills coach Damian Calvert was the president at the time. Fast forward to the present day and he has helped me become an athletic mountain biker with skills to stay safe but yet have fun descending super technical terrain.

This is all because of Diego, he led me to become a mountain biker. I still currently ride my bike a couple of times per week outside and race a couple of times per year. You can catch the Performance Ranch Rowdy Ranchero’s at a few events this year. This fall we will be at two Zia Rides events with our corporate and race team’s.

Roxy Dog

In 2015, I got my first Labrador puppy, Roxy the Performance Ranch Dog. You may have seen several Instagram posts in the past featuring Roxy and her treadmill running skills. She loves hopping on the Air Runner and sprinting full out, it is her ice breaker 😂 with our members and guests. Her other favorite trick is bringing clients a tennis ball while they warm up, she loves to play fetch! There are days I leave her at the gym with my coaches and when I return she has fetched herself to sleep!

Roxy just had her first and last litter of puppies. I tried to breed her 2x in the past but it did not work out. Finally, in April of this year, we had success with a beautiful chocolate lab named “Bear.” On June 28th, Roxy went into labor and gave birth to 5 puppies. Unfortunately, the last 2 were stillborn. A few days later, she gave birth to another 2 deceased puppies. We got her in with our vet that day and found out she still had 2 more inside of her. More than likely deceased.

The vet induced her labor that day but had no success. The next day we got her in with the emergency veterinarian for a C-section and full spay. It was a long sleepless night waiting for the vet to call but Roxy came out of it doing well. We got Roxy and her 3 pups back later that evening. We now have 3 great puppies and we will be keeping a black male. The others are going to great homes!

New Dog

This will be my 2nd time venturing into full puppy training. I am excited that I get another chance to train a great dog that will be my partner for the next decade or more. We only have our dogs for a short time in our life, but we must remember we are their whole life. If we give them a great life, they will be loyal until the end. You may end up living longer thanks to your dog!

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