Hi, thanks to

-- all for the well wishes - NYC weather has cooperated by dropping the temperature about 20 degrees, making for a very happy birthday boy

--  Tracey for the exercises. We've watched some of that before.  We have the blue pads but he just steps over them!  We don't have a bosu ball (I would need serious motivation to try to store that thing in my tiny box of an apartment) or room for the agility course.  Too bad, because I think it would be easier to convince him to do the outdoor agility work; he doesn't really think there is any point to standing on the wobbly stuff, so he just looks at me like I'm nuts and sits down or steps over it.  We do walk a lot in Central Park which helps some, I think, in that it is uneven with small and big hills and wobbly ground -so at least there is that.

-- Admin for the exercise post which I see on the side

-- Rene et all for the blue birthday bandana!

-- and for benny55 above- we took one of the pawprint photos (tri-paw print, with my husband's footprints next to it) and blew it up and framed it.  Looks cool. 

Tracy - you are too funny.  Is my Labrador food motivated?  Umm - YES!  But that is the thing, he runs off the pad to get to the food.  I don't know why it's so difficult - he is very well trained and will do many things. He just won't do THESE things. No idea why - do I have less stamina than when he was a puppy, or is he just older and craftier (I mean wiser ...). I think it's the latter.  I do use the food for the side bends and will start doing that under the leg one that is in your video. And try to get him to play on some steps as suggested by someone above. But seriously - he is smart and he is strong and he is stubborn! (but awesome)