Happy birthday lolabuland.com!
Happy 3rd birthday to lolabuland.com!!! 🙂
My first post here dates exactly 3 years ago! Since then, there have been 157 posts and unbelievable 68,051 comments! We have 2440 registered members, 8 different training DVDs and offer 7 different on line classes, from Puppy Class to Graduates Only, all commented personally. I'm proud to say I know almost all my students by name and am still in contact with many of them, from first Puppy Class in March 2011 on.
On this occasion, let me thank my wonderful students for being such a cool group to work with and to help this website, classes and DVDs to grow and get better&better. And my boyfriend for his 2nd job of being a technical support of this site. Thank you all!
And, here is one of the first posts I posted on this website again: How it all began...
I don't remember how it all began... My parents report that I was very quick learning to speak. Of course, as I had something important to say: I want a dog! My parents were shocked. Third child and first strange wish like that: why on earth would one want to go into trouble of owning a dog??? None in my widest possible family never had a dog, it was not all that common at that time (huh, I'm getting old!), dogs were mostly guardians of farms and lived in very bad conditions. But I REALLY wanted that dog! I learned to read very quickly too as my parents got bored of reading me the only book about dogs that was translated to slovenian at that time: a dog breeds encyclopaedia... On one of the first pages, there was a Samoyed puppy picture and I decided I absolutely need a Samoyed. I became a passionate reader, reading everything that mentioned a dog at any point, dreaming about moving to Alaska and working with sleddogs.
Meantime, I was inventing 1001st way to get your parents get you a dog. No luck. My first pet were fish that I caught in a river nearby. I also got some frog eggs and raised some lovely little frogs that eventually started to jump out of their terrarium so my mother made me take them back and got me a parrot instead. I also had a hamster, turtle... I took good care of them, but none of those animals ever took my mind off having a dog. My parents also tried with signing me in sports, musical and culture activities, but nothing really got my attention. It was all just a very, very long training in patience and persistence in following the Dream.
It's not even my cake, but I have a wish anyway: a dog!
My wish to have a dog and all the creative ways I was coming up with to make my parents see I absolutely need one is what I most remember from my childhood. I have no idea where the wish came from, it was just there from as long as I can remember. The same way with agility: I read about it in 1989, just a short presentation of the sport and knew immediately that's my Thing. I realized that's even easier as moving to Alaska to do sleddog thing - if only I had a dog!
I got Aiken when I was 11. He was a Samoyed, but thought he is a Husky, I never met another Samoyed with that much will to run and that passionate about hunting. I wish I knew more about dog training then, he could be great if only I knew how to redirect all that drive into something more useful as chasing birds and cats and mice and rabbits for hours. He was very passionate and unstoppable about it, I always had to rescue him from holes he jumped in while chasing cats or gardens he jumped in but couldn't get out etc., life with him was sure full of adventures.
I know he should be kept on leash, but leash never fit into my picture about having a dog. But I sure did want to go into dog school with him, but my parents were not ready to pay for my dog's education. So, in order to make some money, I started to publish a magazine. Dog magazine, of course. I put together a magazine with stories and articles on different topics every month, for about 5 years (!), copied it and sent it to 50 or so addresses of my subscribers! I sent some samples to some dog products companies too with a request for sponsorships and actually got a sponsor! I didn't get rich, but I did gather enough money for dog school!
We were like 20 in a class, 40+ year old men with German Shepherds and Rottweilers and me, a little girl with a Samoyed who hated long stays (yes, the story of my life, all my dogs hate long stays, I wonder why 🙂 ). Instructor thought the problem is I'm not strong enough to correct him and hanged him on a choke collar himself. Bzzz.... Wrong move. Didn't fit into my picture of owning a dog either!
I decided for a different approach, my own version of clicker training, passed an exam with flying colours and by that got a green light for agility classes! Yes! My parents were (again) not excited about driving me there twice a week, so I often went by bus. Had to change two buses and did quite some walking to get there, but hey, I could do agility! - Well, not in so many words... Aiken thought it's lots of fun for first two lessons too, but then had somewhat different plans. It was very, very frustrating, but I don't give up just as easily. If I can spend 10 years asking for a dog, I can spend few years, getting a message to my dream dog that we go chase mice to the next field if only he can do some jumps first. It made a great difference when he realized it's actually all about running. He thought it's about obstacles first and those got boring after two lessons (yes, of course we did all the obstacles on a first lesson already, it was year 1992 afterall!), that's why I always emphasis that the dog should know it's about running. As soon as Aiken realized it, he actually started to love the sport and never left me in a ring alone anymore. What a victory! My sweetest and most important win ever!
Yeah, that's how it all started. It was a tough start, but hey, it only makes everything else look easy. Like getting Lo without ever seeing a PyrShep before, learning French to get La, raising autistic Bu etc. You have to love those tough starts!
Happy Birthday LoLaBu Land! It was interesting to read about your beginnings. Thank you for sharing Sylvia. 🙂
Happy birthday! Absolutely brilliant! So proud to be a student and we have learnt and will continue to learn so much!!!:-) Thank you for everything you do to help us all so much!:-)
Yay for that crazy idea over three years ago 🙂 I am so pleased to be a part of this wonderful environment that you have built 🙂 I think we are all still a little mystified as to how you get it all done, but hope that you continue to find it as rewarding as you have, so that you continue to keep it going 🙂
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Wow! Time sure flies. I can’t believe that we were in your first puppy class and have come so very far. Spur and I have had such fun learning from you and we hope to continue to do so. Happy Birthday to the whole LoLaBu Land family!!
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http://bit.ly/Z4oDHW
Mary & Spur
Silvia, love your pictures from your childhood 🙂 …and you still have those beautiful, lovely blue eyes. They tell me that you always had( still have) many questions in your mind 🙂 ….as a Kindergardenteacher I had to answer all those WY´s, WHY NOT`s, BUT`S ….and still love to answer it 🙂
Your passion for dogs and teaching is the greatest gift for me in my life with my dogs!!! 🙂 Bono and I started with the very 1rst LoLabu Land puppy class.Ha, ha,… do you remember on the day when you recorded the video for the Graduation puppy class video ?……You still lived in a small Apartement and LoLaBuLand started to grow in a wonderful place for all of us 🙂 Now you are a great teacher for people who are from all over the world…..it´s just amacing!!!
I´m proud to having you as a teacher , who is never to tired to solve problems and always have a answer of our questions 🙂
thanks gabi&bono&amy
Haha, Gabi…I probably watched that video of you & Bono in Silvia’s LoLaBu Land’s puppy class graduation a bazillion times trying to figure out how you could possibly get a dog to do all those amazing tricks! 🙂 I remember being sooo excited when Silvia announced her first online class!!!
THANK YOU, Silvia! I’ve learned SO MUCH from you! Your classes are the BEST! And Happy Birthday LoLaBu Land! Here’s to another 3 years…or hopefully 30 years!!! 🙂
Yes, Bono was always a star 🙂 First on line class was two years and something ago -- it’s pretty funny as I feel like I know you, Jonina, Camilla, Eva, Emi, Laura, Alicia, Dinah etc. for like ever! Anybody heard anything from Jennifer&Buddy? I know she got a BC puppy and signed him up for puppy class, but then didn’t post much anymore…
Wow… Nearly three years have passed out!! I can hardly believe it!!
Thank you very much Silvia for all your support and help through tick and thin… :).
I have told you a few times already but I think that one more wont hurt.. :0). I am so greatful to have come accross to your website when I was so desperated to find a way to comunicate and train Vesta….!!! Through all the online courses… I managed to convert that desperation in happiness and fun and even proud when Vesta got her fist rosset!! :).
We have learnt so much.. and we have to learn so much Yet.. (that’s the good news no the bad news now… :)).
I am looking forward to every single new open online course so I can join and find different ways to do things and get results.. and if I have to summarize all what we have learnt so far should be something like this: Enjoy the way not the final goal…Find your own way to get to know your dog… and have fun doing it…!!
I have to say thanks as well to show us your amazing dogs through the website so I was able to know the amazing world of the Pyrs…. :)!
The way has been so inspirational that most of the first puppy class students we are still keeping in touch through email or facebook.. so I will tell Jennifer you asked for her.. and yes she got Pre and still training buddy and Pree in tricks and Agility..
Thank you Silvia!!!
Thanks Eva! Happy to hear Jennifer is still working on tricks and agility as well, thanks for the update!
Hi Silvia, happy birthday to Lolabuland!!
I loved all the classes and we learned so much more than I thought would be possible. I didn’t finish our last class online, but played and worked with your lesson plan and DVDs and watching Kathy’s YouTube channel 🙂 I had a lot of problems with my video camera and the editing software and we have been going back and forth between US and Germany three times over the last year.
I will probably sign up with Pre for foundation class.
It’s great that old classes are still available for participating students, so I can go back and watch the videos and read comments and advice, that is usually the best trouble shooting for me.
Best wishes, and you will see us soon again 🙂
Hahaha 🙂 looks like you have to do a handstand to see that picture! BTW Buddy is close to doing the foot stall
Wow -- not easy -- especially not for your legs!
Hi Jennifer, great to hear from you! Are the dogs travelling with you from USA to Germany and back or? Pre has such a GP face! -- You need to do some videos to see if he has GP movement as well! 🙂
Ha, ha, Kathy….. I also watched the video million times 🙂 🙂 !!!
Thanks Gabi! And yes, you really were a part of very first real Lolabuland class! It’s amazing how many great people I met through the classes!
Years ago, we had a “who is who” game on slovenian agility form, guessing who is who from baby photos -- and my thread was no fun as the first person guessed it, based on the 1st photo already! That’s when I found those photos though 🙂
Couldn’t agree more with Melanie!!!! we are simply LUCKY and of course THANKFUL to have lolabuland in our lives 😀 Excited to have taken almost ALL of the classes and watched almost ALL of the DVDs. Puppy class SOON 😀
Thanks! And yay!!! -- Perfect puppy found?
It could only be a success by starting on a 1st of April 😉 Those classes have so much success because you give a lot of yourself in all your comments…Thanks for that!
And to all those who wanna start…Do it! But take care, it’s addictive 😉
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Happy Happy 3rd birthday to lolabuland.com. Did you have any idea how many peoples lives you would change in 3 short years. The dogs that are now running and are happy ! Thank you so much
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Happy birthday from me, too and a BIG thank you!!! 🙂
You can be so proud of yourself getting so far! It reminds me (just a little 😉 ) of my first dog and my beginnings. I knew excatly I would do agility if I had my own dog. Then my grandparents got a puppy and I was allowed going to dogschool and signed up finally to agility class. BUT it was almost different than I imagined! My dog left me in the ring alone, too and found the other dogs much more interesting. The trainer said I had to kept her on leash. It was very frustrating to do agility obstacles with a dog on leash… but I didn’t give up! I’m still in the same agility club -- now with my own dog and as of late even trainer -- and I’m doing these wonderful onlineclasses! It’s incredible how it all has changed!
I love to be here, thank you all!!! 🙂
Iris & Holly
Happy birthday LoLaBuLand! I love your online community and am so grateful to have found you. I remember watching a video of you and Bu many years ago. I instantly knew that that was how I always wanted my own relationship with my dog to be. When the opportunity came up to train for you I couldn’t believe it! I cannot thank you enough for sharing your knowledge with all of us./Erica