2009 round up

Well as 2009 comes to a close we can reflect on the highlights of the year and think about our aims and hopes for 2010. The Brickyard Bandits had a brilliant year, we have met so many great people and there is always a feeling of team spirit at flyball shows, something which is sadly lacking from other dog sports, both Jo and I tried our hand at judging which was a real experience and one which we both really enjoyed (mostly!) the young dogs came through their green stages and proved to be valuable members of the team, but we both agreed that we need to concentrate on Agility and therefore the Bandits will no longer be racing, which although sad, really is the best thing, we have been incredibly lucky not to have gained any serious injury's considering Maisy and Ronny are at full throttle all the time.

We have spent most of the year watching Summer grow in confidence before our eye's, Amy mainly focussed on obedience and with a little push also dabbled in flyball and agility, in the beginning Summer lacked motivation which we have found to be one of the downfalls in clicker training, but combining it with motivational training and their growing partnership 2010 looks set to be a good year, having said that she didin't do too badly in 2009, with 3 Crufts qualifiers under her belt that might take some beating for the next 12 months.

Ben & Dylan have had a fairly quiet year, Ben has really enjoyed retirement and the odd outing, however in 2010 he will join us at as many shows as he can manage, especially the camping ones, he really loves his little holidays and most of all he want to be with Amy whatever she is doing. Dylan will be entering more Agility I feel much more confident now in my handling so he will have a great time skipping around in his unique sprollie style, we might not be show stoppers but he dosen't need to know that SShhhhh.

I feel like I have come on a real journey with Maisy over the past 18 months, but I finally feel we are working as a partnership, there is still plenty of work to be done, mainly on my handling but I finally feel like I have my method worked out and the results have started to come, 2 jumping wins and a 2nd and at the past 2 shows only silly mistakes or the odd pole down proves the point, so I am excited about the 2010 season and my goal is simple - maintain a happy partnership, if we get a rosette or two along the way then all the better, obviously in real terms I'd like to progress up the grades but truely I'm really enjoying my dog.

And so to thanks - Thank you to our group of friends who always have something nice to say, who cheer even if it wasn't clear and who scream when it was!! and who share a glass (or two) of wine in the evening to celebrate. Thank you to Clare who has helped me so much and who has rewarded my help with some fantastic results of her own. Thank you to Jo for everything, especially at Portway earlier in the season when I was ready to give it all up! you have been a real friend this year and I'm really looking forward to giving you some good results for your hard work. And a real special thank you to Amy, who is my little rock, she has worked so hard this year with Summer and Dylan and I am rewarded when I see how much they have progressed, at the weekend lots of people commented on your improvement and I know 2010 is going to be a great year for you.

I hope you all have a great New Year and that 2010 brings you all you wish for XXX

Rugby Christmas Agility Show

On Friday night it was my works Christmas Party, I had said I wouldn't drink too much but unfortunately my head had other ideas so Amy drove to the show on Saturday morning with me a little worse for wear in the passenger seat. We were helping at this show and it was a good job that I had to focus my mind on something but luckily Mary kept the tea coming throughout the day so I managed to survive. It was a 1-7 show and the jumping course at first site was a bit mad, however it ran really well with both dogs getting eliminated for taking the tunnel instead of the jump, both handler errors but Amy and I knew that and enjoyed the fact we managed the tricky bits well. Next was agility and I was thrilled with Maisy's contacts and weaves all executed from a distance with ease, I was over commanding as usual so we had a few poles and little Summer went clear, so after a long cold day we came home very happy again.

Wrye Update

Another early start on Saturday but this time Amy and Summer came too. It was one of those days that I really enjoy, no real results Charlie gained a couple of 6ths which was a nice indicator of his progress. The courses seemed quite technical, with some difficult lines but Maisy was really listening, we had a few poles here and there but directionally she was great, Summer was a star again no clears but she remained really motivated throughout the day so we all came away happy with our dogs. yesterday I did a little training with Maisy, just following on from Yvonnes lesson, I'm retraining the contact points for Maisy, it is so frustrating having a dog thats is great at home but is just so wired at shows, her starts are appalling, no sooner have I taken my hand out of the collar and she's off, no matter what I say to her, if I stand still she will realise she shouldnt have gone but by then it's too late!! so as soon as I have this last win under my belt we will not be going past the start without a stay, I know she is more than capable of it she just need to realise she won't get away with not listening from the start. Summer on the other hand has amazing waits on the start, even with dogs and people in close proximity behind her, I'm still trying to persuade Amy to do more shows and more training, Summer would be a real agility Star..

Moan Moan Moan

I was going to save this post for my end of year round up, but recent events made me decide to post now and get it out of the way! As competiors in the lower grades of Agility any place or even a clear round are very precious to us, this usually means something we have been struggling with in training has clicked, or for some, a very long awaited win, with a dog who has been on the brink for a long time has finally come. In the main peoples comments are genuine and very warmly appreciated by those who recieve them, however occasionally there will be ther person who's comments are not necessary and actually quite hurtful when Clare won at Preston we where all thrilled, it was so well deserved, a person whom I have always tried to be supportive of made the comment that it was easy to win out of grade 2 but 3 was a different matter!! Actually Grade 2 was not easy to win out of with Charlie, and it was testement to the hard work that has been put in that won the day. There are also those people who hover outside the ring eagerly waiting for you to put a foot wrong so they can gleefully tell you about your bad handling, you are not doing me any favors, up to now I have accepted their comments and moaned about them afterwards, but no more, do you not think I am aware that my dog broke it's wait? after all I was stood their in the ring right next to her, I possibly even watched her do it, and decided in the nano second I had that I would carry on, do you think I was unaware of the various handling errors I made? but what you were unaware of is that I came out of the ring albeit dissapointed with myself but extatic that my dog was unaware of my mistakes and had a ball regardless, I was thrilled that on this occasion she blasted through the weaves without fault and turned left on my command from a distance, all of these things you missed! In the very wise words of Winnie The Pooh, "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all". On the other hand, next season I will be making the time to watch more rings in the hope I get some free training tips!! and if I watch your round and find myself impressed I will comment afterwards and it will be because I mean it. If you have been guilty of making negative comments to me in the past, I hope you are a brilliant handler because I will be watching you and when i say nothing to you outside the ring you'll know why!

Trainers!!
What I look for in a trainer be it for Agility or obedience firstly is someone whom I can get along with, it doesn't matter if they are ticket handlers, I have a friend who doesn't even run a dog who has given me some fantastic advice, and I have travelled hundreds of miles for a lesson in the freezing cold, however I am learning all the time what makes a good and bad trainer, I think we should all have an ever increasing list which we should add to each time we encounter a new experience. Recently a friend of mine was told by a trainer that her dog was un-trainable and she should get another dog to start from scratch with! he has had issues with his contacts either jumping them or creeping slowly to them, I know this dog very well and in my mind he is confused, he always tries to please and clearly just doesnt understand exactly what we want, the girl that owns him is 16 and to be told that her beloved pet was not suitable was heartbreaking. You can make your own mind up which list this trainer now falls under, I personally found it shocking and this dog will not be retireing as we now have a point to prove, but we will do it with love and motivation.

Hopefully a much happier post next week after Wyre on Saturday, Maisy was excellent at Yvonnes on Tuesday, Ronny was so funny but I'll save that for another day.

Preston

On Friday Clare had, had a car accident when some idiot just drove straight out in front of her giving her no choice but to smash into him leaving her very shaken, but she was determined to still go to Preston, so at the crack of dawn on Saturday I picked her and Charlie up and we set off on a 3 hour journey arriving at the venue for 8am. We have both been quite excited about this show, me because I only need one more win for grade 2 and Clare because for the past few shows Charlie has been brilliant just missing the top spot by ths smallest of margins. Agility was first and as I walked Charlie to the ring he was like a stallion, rearing up and making his usual noises so I knew he was going to give Clare a good run, and indeed he did, fantastic contacts and for once he really made Clare run, it was a brilliant clear round and with no suprise to me at all they won the class making them grade 3, and it's about time, the amount of hard work thats gone into getting a very difficult dog to work like he did on Saturday certainly deserves a lot of credit - well done.
Maisy was not as bad as I thought she'd be, although her contacts started off well by the end of the 2nd agility class she was just having a ball at my expense!! however in the afternoon the jumping course was a bit more technical which seems to suit Maisy, even if I get really nervous!, a really stupid handling mistake got us eliminated at fence 3!! I just gave her a command a bit too early and she turned before the fence and took the wrong obstacle!! then she went on to do a near perfect round, her weaves are now brilliant, so although I was annoyed with myself Maisy was a star. It was a very long journey home through heavy rain and strong winds, luckily Steve had made a nice dinner and I could relax with a well earned glass of wine, and I'm sure Clare did too. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of competitions, hopefully Maisy and I will get back into our stride after the past few weeks off.

Busy Busy Busy

Last weekend was very hectic indeed, Saturday was Claire's 21st party at the house, lots of relatives and Claires friends descended upon our newly decorated home!! luckily they were all well behaved and the party went ahead without a hitch, unfortunately I maybe drank a wee bit too much!! (not at all like me) and ended up with rather a bad head on Sunday morning, before I knew it Amy had rung to say she had arrived at Earles court safely with Ben and Summer. Amy had entered the YKC's dogstable course which is to celebrate 25 years of the Young Kennel Club, the first 3 from each age group would qualify for Crufts 2010 where the final will be held. Usually Ben loves the hustle and bustle of the big indoor venues but this time he was acting differently from usual, we have put it down to his deteriorating sight which must have heightend his other senses and made him more guarded than usual, you will see from the video he was not a happy Bunny, Summer however though it was a brilliant place to be, flirting with all the people and dogs and again from the video you can see her little tail flying high and really enjoying herself.



Amy & Summer came 3rd qualifying for Crufts, she was just beaten by Kathryn & Diesel Woop Woop how exciting Kathryns first Crufts qualifier, so many congrats to the two of you.
During the day Summer and Amy were asked to do lots of demonstrations in the YKC ring, and Amy reported that she was a real Princess and just can't wait for Crufts to come along now, I am just thinking how exhausting it's all going to be!!

Training Update

Jo and I had an early start on Friday morning arriving in Ipswich with time for a coffee before training started. Keisha & Maisy were in fine voice and decided to sing at the top of their lungs whilst we were introducing ourselves!! During the session we concentrated on turns whilst trying to remember "the Rules" easier said than done, but it was really interesting watching all the other handlers and with the basic knowledge we had learnt to see how their mistakes influenced their dogs decisions, and how sometimes very minor adjustments allowed the dogs to pick up the correct signals. By the end of the 3 hours both Maisy and Keisha were much sharper on their turns and we had plenty of information to take away to practice over the winter.

Friday & Saturday evening was again very upsetting for the dogs, Summer took residence under Amy's bed and Ben hid behind the sofa, Maisy & Dylan seem to be mostly unaffected by the explosions outside, and although I don't wish to spoil anyones fun I wish it was just for one night so at least we could plan! still at least the following day all seems to have been forgotton until the next time.
Amy has been a very busy Bee this weekend, spending lots of time with her friends from the YKC (Young Kennel Club) Ice skating on Saturday and at the Nec with the Backstreet Boys last night, not very dog related but at least she still found the time to take Summer and Ben for a lovely walk yesterday Afternoon and also managed a bit of training on Saturday! we have another busy week ahead of us, my eldest daughter Claire is 21 on Thursday and we have her party on Saturday with still plenty of decorating left to be done, my husband has taken the week off work to try to finish!! (rather him than me) I really must get some more photo's I will try harder over the next week or so!! :-))

Winter Warmers

The weather seems to have brightened up a bit today, I took Maisy & Dylan for a lovely walk first thing and decided to walk them accross the corn field which has been harvested but not plowed, they had a great time racing around getting very grubby, luckily the long grass along the verge on the way home cleaned them up enough to allow them back indoors. Jo & I are taking Maisy and Keisha to a training day with Dave Munnings on Friday, it's going to be an early start as we have to be at the venue by 9am and its about 2 1/2 hours away but I'm sure it will be worth the drive. lots more pictures and posts to follow, Amy keeps moaning I don't write much about her on here, so I will pull my finger out and get some of Summers video's loaded and take some more pictures so we can update on her progress too, although I can tell you Summer is a little monkey and thinks it's hilarious to hide at the top of the stairs waiting in ambush then she races in and out of Amy's room with her bottom tucked firmly in finally settling on her bed delivering very sloppy wet kisses until Amy wakes up - maybe I should video that!!! now theres a thought..

Training

We have been doing some work on our house over the last few weeks and this weekend we had planned to finish painting the hallway, luckily one of Steves friends had offered to help him so on Saturday I met up with Jo for a training session, she had already told me she had planned a hard session and she wasn't wrong, I took both Maisy & Dylan and ended up doing 2 hours!! we mainly concentrated on flick flacks, and pull ins. Maisy as usual was a star and Dylan had a great time playing with his football and teaching me the importance of body language! Yesterday I took Maisy to the paddock to continue practising what we had learnt at Jo's and Maisy again was really listening, getting up some good speed through the flick flacks and taking 12 weaves with no mistakes, hopefully we can keep it up for the show at Preston just one more Jumping win to take us into grade 2 for next season... no pressure then.
The Clocks have gone back now so evening training is pretty much out of the question, I hate the dark nights it just seems such a waste of time stuck indoors.. still the months go by so fast it'll soon be Spring and we can start all over again with a couple of exciting new prospects coming onto the agility scene, Hardy who is Clare's GSD puppy, Zippy who is of course Ronny's son and Gabby and Gloria the two boxers how exciting.
Next weekend Amy and I are training at the YKC activity weekend in Newark, I think we are helping out with the Flyball and then I'm organising the Obedience competition on Sunday, I'm only taking Maisy for some company and if I'm lucky I'll get a go on the agility equipment, but at least it will be some one to one time with her as it's her 5th Birthday on Sunday, I can't believe I've had her 4 years I remember taking her to Newark a couple of weeks after I had her for her first Camping experience, we had a tent in those days, I remember it was very cold even with 3 collies trying to keep us warm!! we'll be nice an toastie in the caravan this weekend especially with the heating on!!

training pays off

Yesterday Amy, Alice and I went to T.A.R.R.S agility limit show, it was only down the road and I thought it would be a nice little show to give Alice and Smartie a bit more confidence, in training they have come on really well, I don't think Alice can see how good her partnership with "Smartypants" has become, but hopefully she can now. First of all we had agility, it was a nice course with a few draws, Alice and Amy ran it really well, getting all their contacts I took Dylan and Maisy in and I managed to put Maisy back on the A frame with my body language so we were eliminated!! we somehow missed the presentation but someone we knew said they had heard Amy's name called out so on checking Alice and Smartie had come 3rd and Amy and Summer 4th, we were all extatic. then the Helta Skelta, it was quite a tricky course as it was grade 1 -7 Amy managed 2 clears with Summer and Dylan, Alice just had the last part of the long jump giving her 5 faults. Maisy took 2 naughty poles!! this time we waited for the presentation and were rewarded with Amy getting 2nd with Dylan and 3rd with Summer. Lastly was the jumping, as we walked it I said it was going to be hard, and thats what it was! lots of pull ins and a line of 6 jumps in a straight line at the start, for those of us with no wait on the line and a very fast dog I'm sure you will understand the dilema! Amy and Summer did a grand job only to get flustered at the weaves, Alice (who has a great wait) started off nicely but just moved too quickly on the pull ins resulting in Smartie back jummping, something we can work on and after a silly elimination for Maisy at the start she then flew round listening to all my directional commands, got her weave entrance at great speed and proved once again what a star she is. both the girls and all of the dogs made me very proud yesterday, Well done.

I also hear throughout the day that Kathryn and Ellen had, had a great day and I think I have the results correct: Ellen & Handbag won the agility, Kathryn and Gemma won timefault and out a 3rd in something else and Diesel got a 12th so brilliant news all round.

Motivation training

Well motivation is not something Maisy & I struggle with, I have however come to realise that her over enthusiastic approach to everything is sometimes stress related, she isn't what you would call a stressy dog but the signs do appear particularly when she is being asked to do something new, for example Amy took her to obedience training last night, for Maisy this was a completely alien enviroment with people and dogs she didn't know, to start with she just dug her heels in and bounced all over the place but as the night progressed she settled into some acceptable heelwork, even if she was taking the mickey out of Amy as she went. then it was Summers turn, as Amy warmed her up I noticed that when Amy used her best motivational approach to gee her up it was having the opposite effect and was making her lagg so we tried a new technique which was to have a game and take out the formality going straight into the heelwork, slowing down on the corners to give her time to keep the position and throwing her ball forward to encourage her forward, when she went into her lesson Summer really was stunning, I have never seen her work in such a stylish motivated way, her tail was flying high and she was showing us her cheeky side, Amy is now going to try to develop her own training technique just for Summer which utlises both motivational and clicker, but keeping the voice commands to a minimum which seems to drive her into thinking for herself. I know it has been harder that Amy likes to admit going from a steady dog like Ben to a thinker like Summer, but last night we saw that relationship blossom to the next level, still many levels to go but a great start to winter training.

Looking forward to weekends off

Well, we have finally come to the end of our mad show season, nearly every weekend from April to October has been filled with one dog event or another which I can whole heartedly say we have enjoyed greatly. We only have a few shows through the winter, a few little ones for Alice and Smartie to gain confidence for Amy and Summer to maintain their progress and just to keep Maisy from boiling over. During the quieter times we need to concentraste our training on our weak areas, Maisy's contacts in particular!! I'm going back to basics with her, she seems to get it at home but as soon as I'm on the start line she's off like an uncontrolable rocket, it's down to me just like when we used to do obedience but at least in agility I'm not close enough to keep pumping in those bad vibes. I'll be taking Maisy over to Jo's throughout the winter, having spent quite a number of breathtaking ringside seats watching her run Ronny and Keisha I know she understands the worries I have had in the past and has always got good advice on how to improve, she's not afraid to point out my handling mistakes but most importantly I trust her. Amy and Summer will be spending the winter working mainly on obedience but also enjoying their ever improving agility skills, Sumer has really started to bomb over the equipment, she has become a real little rocket, I just hope Amy has the speed to keep up, although I'm sure she will sicken us all by just having to stand in the middle of the ring calmly giving the odd directional command!!!! I wish... next weekend we are at a little agility show in Hinkley, Alice is there with Smartie too, then on Sunday Amy & Summer have entered the Midlands BC club limit obedience and breed show, updates to follow.

We're on the way

What an eventful weekend!! Saturday was a really mixed bag, contacts were very inconsistant Maisy missed weaves and Charlie decided he had no idea what a dog walk contact was! however Maisy didn't have any poles down and despite taking a 5 in his agility Charlie came 3rd, if he had just managed a toe on the bottom of the dog walk he would have won out!! Jo had some great runs with Ronny & Keisha but that illusive win just keeps slipping from her grasp, it's agonising waiting for classes to close but all those 2nds and 3rds prove it's only a matter of time. After a lovely relaxing evening in front of "Strictly" with a bottle of wine and 2 very tired dogs we woke up ready for another day. Maisy was as mad as ever so another tactic came to us, instead of keeping maisy away from the rings which wind her up I walked her round and round, eventually she seemed to get used to all the dogs rushing about and was much calmer as Clare queued for me, the grade 1 jumping round was a nice course and to everyones relief the judge decided to take the weaves out as they couldn't get the pegs into the ground.. Maisy went in about 4th dog and had her listening head on, she flew round with no poles in a time of 18.056 seconds it was a lovely smooth clear, after waiting what seemed an age Jo and Sheila indicated from accross the rings that I had won! so only one more Jumping win to take us to grade 2. I wasn't going to do my last agility round as she had been a bit naughty to say the least, but Clare and Jo persuaded me to train it, the little madam got all her contacts!!! but I pulled her off the dog walk entrance.. so you never know we might have an agilty win in us too one day...

The Newnes

Today Clare and I are off to Oswestry, we have decided to camp off site, not only so we can have electric hook up but we find it a whole more relaxing atmosphere for the dogs. We should arrive mid afternoon which gives us plenty of time to set up camp and enjoy the peace and quiet before the weekends competition. I'm really looking forward to this show as there are practice rings, this way I can reinforce Maisy's contacts before we go in the ring, she has been brilliant in training but quite naughty in the ring so a little reminder won't go amiss. Amy is out partying with her YKC friends, they are off to Alton towers, I think Amy is only going to hold the bags!! but I'll update next week, lets hope there aren't too many naughty poles this weekend.

Bromsgrove

I was lucky enough to get Friday afternoon off work so had plenty of time to get to the venue and set up, it was a lovely afternoon and after setting up camp and walking the dogs I still had time to relax and enjoy the lovely evening with Kathryn, Ian, Ellen and her mum Louise. On Saturday I had 2 agility and a jumping with Maisy and a jumping with Dylan, Maisy had a pole in the agility which was down to me dropping my arm and a couple of eliminations due to bad handling!!! and Dylan got faulted on his weaves, again down to me forgetting he isn't confident with off side weaves, I could even hear Amy telling me off in my head as he popped out halfway through!! in the afternoon I was speaking to Jo who had felt Keisha was running off par, so we all ventured down to the ring to watch her final jumping round, she looked stunning and I must admit I thought she had run brilliantly but Jo still thought she had been a bit sluggish, I checked the time and she was in the lead (Sluggish my foot!!!) after the class had closed we checked her place and she had won it, so thats 2 grade 4 jumping wins only one more to go for both Keisha and Ronny to be in Grade 5. Sunday was another day, I had decided to take Maisy in the Agility first, it was a nice course which I felt would suit Maisy, well it suited her just fine, she hooned around having a great time with no regard to any of the contacts and no respect for the weaves at all!!! i ended up taking her out of the ring to think about her actions!! what a naughty girl, thinking back it makes me smile, Maisy was just having a great time at my expense and it makes me appreciate more how much effort she puts in 80% of the time, bless her. Dylan had two lovely clear rounds in his jumping classes albeit steady but he had a great time and was a really happy dog all weekend, Maisy's last class of the weekend was the combined 1-2 jumping, it was a lovely course with a few draws, I had spent a little time watching friends run it so I knew where the real draws are that I sometimes miss in the mele of walking it with 200 people, Maisy went clear, it was a little messy and we ended up 2nd with a lovely bit of crystal to show for it.

Amy had two 3rds in her obedience, Summer was lacking drive which is what Amy wants to work on over the winter, she has really increased her drive in the agility ring so we know it's in there we just have to get it in heelwork, she took Ben and Summer to the beach on Saturday afternoon, Ben loves the sea and really didn't want to come home, we must take him there more often, apparently he was off as soon as he heard the waves.. Bless him.

Different Directions

This weekend Amy and I are off in different directions, Amy is heading off to Great Yarmouth for a weekend of Obedience, unfortunately she has drawn the short straw and will be in a tent!! whilst I'm off to Bromsgrove agility weekend, luckily I'll be in the warm caravan, and as it's only me, both Maisy & Dylan will be allowed to sleep inside. Dylan is also enterd in the jumping classes, it's been ages since I've run him at a show, he gets very distracted by all the demons in his head! but hopefully as the weekend goes on he might revert to his old form and get a clear, he's a very tidy jumper but he just hasn't done much recently and the handling technique is much different to how I now run Maisy so it might be fun to watch if nothing else.. Last night we took all the dogs to Janes for her monthly competition, Maisy was a little manic! and I ended up being eliminated, but it was my own fault, I gave her an extra command as she entered the weaves which bought her out and didn't commit to the last fence which confused her and sent her spinning in circles waiting for the correct command!!! poor child, Dylan had his spaniel head on so ran around with his head in the air and Summer was great but the spot light confused her as she approached the dog walk so she jumped off the side. Summer has been great in training and now Amy has startd to use the technique her friend showed her the concentration is much better and she has increased her speed and confidence.... just goes to show you what you can achieve with a little effort.

Wiccaweys Limit Show

I have been training my Niece Alice and her dog Smartie for the past few months, Smartie is Summers Brother. Wiccaweys had a small limit agility show not far away so we decided it would be a good opportunity to let Alice have her first go in the ring. Smartie and Alive were brilliant, only taking a couple of poles here and there and just a few mistakes which you would expect from a nervous first timer, all in all I was incerdibly proud of the two of them - Well done.

Amy had been to Coventry obedience show in the morning and had popped into the show Summer managed a cracking clear in the helta skelta, and she and Amy again looked like they were having a great time. I was a little distracted in the morning and didn't give Maisy my full attention resulting in a few silly handling errors, then in the afternoon we all missed walking the agility course which made me work that bit harder, but it paid off although a little messy in places we managed a clear and went on to win the class by 4 seconds!! Two shows two wins Woop Woop.. Yesterday they were running a fun dog show, so we took all 4 dogs for a fun day out, I had decided to take Summer in the obedience, she was working really nicely outside the ring but again my old obedience nerves kicked in and it all went to pot under the Judge!!! I came away remembering why I had given it all up!!! Amy and Ben came 2nd in the musical mats and Mum and willow gained a 3rd in the dog most like its owner!! they announced the obedience results during the afternoon classes and I didn't bother going into the ring but to my amazement we got 5th place!! Sara & Jess came 2nd and Anne & Crafty came 7th well done to you.

Another very worthy mention must go to Amy & Summer who were awarded Judges choice best junior handler in the Agility.. I'm very proud of you both.X

What a difference a day makes.....

Well I knew Maisy was close to getting that all important clear, all weekend she has got her contacts and weave entrances only knocking a few poles here or there and a couple of handling errors on my part leaving us with the fastest dog in the class but with faults. Yesterday afternoon we ran our jumping class, it went smoothly all the way round and we had our clear.. not only that we won the class with 2 seconds to spare!! what an absolutle angel... Summer too was a little star running 4 rounds with just silly little faults she is really beginning to look like an agility dog, and I think Amy even had a smile on her face so you never know we might see her at a few more competitions in the future, Ben was entered in allsorts and ran a fantastic clear round, he gets so excited, at one point i thought he might start without Amy. Today Amy has been at a handling training day, they always have a competition at the end of the day and Amy has just rang me to say they came 2nd, so I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when she gets in.

Here Come The Girls!!!

What a lovely weekend it has been, not only has the weather been perfect for agility, but Maisy although not clear has decided that she can do the weaves in competition - PHEW!!! her last jumping round was stunning, really fast and accurate just taking a pole on the last run, she managed a time of 17.29 seconds and would have won by over 1.5 seconds!! Hopefully we can keep up the good work for the remainder of the season. Yesterday afternoon we had finished early so Amy and I decided to take the dogs to the companions show held at the festival. Kathryn and Ian were also there with their pooches and gorgeous little Tassi a cockerpoo which they are dog sitting for. their results are as follows: Pretiest bitch - Maisy 2nd (despite Amy trying to knobble her!!)
Best brace - Maisy & Summer 1st
Pretiest Scrufts bitch - Tassi 2nd
Working & Pastoral - Gemma 4th
Overall Best in show - Maisy & Summer 2nd
It was a lovely way to end a great weekend, I must just mention Ellen & Hamish who won another jumping on Friday, only one more to go now handbag.... Well done XXX

Summer's Success

Clare & I had a lovely weekend at Scunthorpe, Clare & Charlie had some good results and we both felt Charlie was in a really happy relaxed mood and he came away with some very good places including 3rd in his last jumping round. Maisy and I although still no clears had a really positive weekend, my goodness is she starting to work ahead now! and I'm begining to trust her more too which resulted in getting all her contacts and becoming much more confident through the weaves.
Amy & Summer went to a companion show on Saturday where Summer won Pretiest bitch and came 2nd in the breed class, then yesterday they were at Bournemouth breed show, Sheila had trimmed her up nicely on friday and Amy had managed to bath her in advance, she was entered in the YKC handling, YKC stakes and Post Graduate Bitch. results as follows:

YKC Handling - 4th

YKC Stakes - 5th

Post grad bitch (16 entries) - 1st (qualifying Crufts 2010)

To say we were over the moon would be an understatement, and a huge thank you must go to Sheila and Hilary (team Darian) who looked after Amy and Summer so well during the day.

Relaxing Weekend

It was a nice change to have a weekend off from Agility this weekend, Amy was back from training obedience at the YKC summer camp and had an obedience show with Summer in Coventry just up the road on Saturday, she was really pleased with her progress and the below critique from the judge says it all:
5th 471 Darian Enchanted by Fire (Summer) bc b Amy Sadler lost 9¾. Absolutely brilliant hol with very little to mark. Clear recall and only a very slight cs on retrieve then it all went slightly pear shaped in hf when Summer spooked at a GSD walking by the top of the ring minding it’s own business. She then spent the rest of the round hesitating and going wide as she was distracted but still manged to get within qualifying marks due to the earlier brilliance Awarded a Diploma.
Amy & Summer start at Rugby DTC on Thursday night and none of us can wait, it will do them the world of good to get into a training routine again. last night we took all the dogs to the paddock and trained obedience and agility, Summer was brilliant and was working her socks off, her "A" recall is to die for, Amy must really start doing some scent training or it's going to hold her back.
Good News - Jo has now qualified 4 of her dogs for Crufts 2010!!! what a busy day she's going to have.. I'm really looking forward to watching Pudsey in the ring, and I'll be there to help out if you need any assistance, just getting them all into the halls will be an experience!! also it seems Keisha is back on form gaining a very close 2nd place in her agility. J
Jo, Clare and I have a weekend away in Scunthorpe next weekend, we are leaving early on Friday so we can have a nice steady journey and give ourselves plenty of time to set up camp at Normanby Hall, hopefully the weather will be kind to us which always makes for a more relaxing atmosphere. Maisy seems to have got the hang of her weaves again (fingers crossed) hopefully Jo will be coming over tonight to put us through our paces again!! I have a new video camera so there may even be some footage!!

Last Weekend

My sister Sara & I went to see Jools Holland at Rugby School on Friday night, it was an amazing show despite the rain, and a real treat as I had Saturday off without any competitions to attend. Sunday I was at Chipping Norton, I wasn't in the best frame of mind and came away with 1 nice jumping round gaining 5 faults at the weaves, the other two classes were a nightmare, at the time I felt it was Maisy's fault but after speaking to Jo and having had the time to really think about it my mood was to blame and I didn't really give Maisy any chance at all, another lesson learnt!! so I've decided to really try to get into the "Maisy" zone for this weekend and at least give her a chance to do her best.

On another note - I have been in partnership with Clare running the Brickyard Dog training club for the past few years, this Thursday will be my last training session with the club. Just to alay any rumours, Clare and I have enjoyed a very succesful few years, my decision to end the obedience section was mainly due to other life commitments, I want to give Amy, Summer and Maisy more of my time in the hope we can get the best out of each other and also my older daughter Claire who is currently at uni in Oxford and my husband Steve who is usually found on the golf course LOL a bit of my undivided attention. Publicly I would like to thank Clare for everything, and more importantly I would like to tell her to belive in herself and that we are all looking forward to watching Hardy's progress into the agility world, he is a little stunner.

Week Off

Well last week Steve and I travelled up to the Yorkshire Dales for a week away from it all, we had a really lovely time, Maisy made friends with the local ducks and enjoyed long walks over the Dales and daily swims in the river. Steve and I took the time to relax but after travelling 4 hours back on Friday it all seems like a world away now, we are already planning the next trip in September but next time we are planning to go to Buxton! This weekend I had Agility at Daventry on Saturday and the Bandits were racing on Sunday, Saturday wasn't too bad considering I had done no training all week, Maisy was listening but was a little lazy and we had a few Naughty poles here and there, Kathryn had an amazing day coming home with 2 trophies and an armful of rosettes, she and Jess are now in Grade 4.... and I heard today that Sandy and Henry also won into grade 2, my little pep talk must have worked!!

Yesterday the Bandits had a brilliant day, we must have beaten our personal best in nearly every race we ran, Kody has really started to look like he has the hunger for it now and did us proud, we came away with a brilliant 2nd place and a new PB of 19.33 seconds, this was with a green dog and room for improvement in those all important cross overs, I can certainly see a sub 19 second time coming soon.

WARNING..... turn down your speakers!!!!!!!

What a fantastic weekend. firstly I must appologise to Amy and I promise there will be more of her Week away with Mary Ray shortly.

Saturday we had a really fun day at the flyball, although it was overcast it was extremly hot, and for the first time ever I saw a tired Ronny, not only did they manage a respectable 3rd place in the 4th Division but Ronny also won the ABC singles, Maisy and Ronny came 2nd in the pairs with Smartie & Dylan coming 3rd, so it was a great day out. below is a clip of Ronny & Maisy in their Pairs

But Yesterday was the best day so far, Jo & I had decided to go to Emdac Agility in Melton Mowbray for a change with no pressure as it isn't a KC show. Jo had an amazing day with her dogs Keisha taking 2 x 1st places and a 2nd and 4th, Ronny taking 1st in the jumping and little Kody taking a 4th too, her van looked like a rosette factory when she left!! also it looks like Ronny may have gone to the top of the Clever dogs ABC leaderboard so he might be at the final later in the year. Maisy and I had a great day too, firstly she had a brilliant run in the power and speed, we had great control over all the contacts followed by a really fast jumping round but just dropping a pole, then we had another jumping round where I mucked up the end! and then we had our first clear in the agility, it was a lovely round, with no weaves, we finished 9th and have a lovely pink rosette to show for it, we also had a clear in the next jumping class, but it was a bit of a mess so we were outside the placings. here is a clip of Maisy's agility.

in the lunch break we decided to have a go at Cleverdogs, and this is our first attempt, we got quite a good time even though we had to have 2 attempts at the weaves, I think we might also be in the final!!! I was a bit sneaky though as I managed to persuade Jo to put Ronny in ABC at least he won't be against Maisy LOL method in my madness. here is a clip so you get an idea of what's involved.

I am going to keep going to the EMDAC shows whenever possible, they are really good for building confidence, in the lower classes there are no weaves and I found that even theough for Misy she still got the thrill of queueing and her excitement levels were as much as at a normal show, I was able to be much more relaxed and it showed through in her rounds. I am a very proud mummy today.

Summers Progress

This week Amy & Summer are on a course with Mary Ray, the week started off with a dinner for everyone cooked by Dave and an informal meet and greet. The week consists of Obedience in the mornings followed by agility in the afternoons. On Monday Summer was a little bit lethargic, probably due to having been at an agility show all weekend and the fireworks which woke them up the previous night, but yesterday and today Amy has reported she is back to her cheeky self and has been doing "lovely" retrieves and they just need to work on maintaining concentration throughout the heelwork, and they have both been enjoying their agility classes.

My Other daughter Claire flew off to Morocco at 4 this morning on a 3 week bus trip accross the country, she has already text me to say they arrived safely and it is scorching hot!! so hopefully a few pictures from Morocco to follow too.

The Bandits are racing at Daventry this Saturday and I am at Emdac in Melton Mowbray on Sunday subject to my ankle holding out, especially as Steve and I are going to a Ball on Saturday night... no dancing for me LOL

Long Weekend

This weekend we were in Worcester at Golden Valley Agility show, Maisy, Dylan and Summer were entered in lots of classes. Maisy was on great form, hardly having any poles and really listening although contacts and weaves need much more practice, it is so annoying as she is rock solid at home but the excitement of the show just makes her into a little demon. Summer had a couple of lovely rounds and a great clear in the team dash, she is improving steadily and is a real pleasure to watch, Dylan was just his usual self, head up and enjoying a trot around in the sunshine!! I think he was more spaniel than collie much to Amy's horror... Sunday Morning Amy, Clare, Jo and I were entered in the team dash with Charlie, Ronny, Maisy and Dylan, it was a really great round, Clare started and went clear, followed by Ronny Maisy and Dylan all notching only 5 faults each, it was exillarating and great fun. during the afternoon I managed to get in Maisy's way as she flew out of a tunnel, at the time I thought that's going to hurt tomorrow! and just carried on. but after running another class and packing the caravan, driving it to Daventry ready for Amy and Summers course I couldn't put any weight on it at all, after a trip to casualty and 2 Xrays the doctors decided it was a bad sprain and I should rest it for a week!!! I'll have to take it one day at a time to see how much I can do on it, luckily we have flyball on Saturday so not much running required..
This week I'll try to keep you posted on Amy and Sumers progress at Mary Rays course, last year she had a great time and it looks set to be another fabby week, Amy was really looking forward to spending some quality time away with her dogs so more news to follow.

Maisy's latest video

This is Maisy and I , I think the pole came down when I spoke to her so she dropped her feet and you can see by my bent forward body language I pushed her out of the weaves as she sped up, but all in all I am really pleased with our progress, I really feel in control most of the time, we do occasionally have a round where I don't think Maisy even notices I'm there, but things are deffinitely feeling better.

Summer goes clear

Yesterday Summer was a little star getting her first clear round in agility, although it wasn't fast enough for placings it was a great start to the weekend. what a little star, Photo's to follow. hopefully now she has grown so much in confidence placings won't be far away.

Good job she's pretty!!!

We have had a very VERY wet weekend, Flyball on Saturday and agility today. Yesterday the Brickyard Boomerangs won division 5 winning all 5 races, our other team only had 1 win but we had some good training which will hopefully stand us in good stead for the future, Summer was not on form and decided she couldn't really be bothered to run in the rain, she might get dirty!!! until the last race when Amy got her clicker out and suddenly Summer remembered - little minx..

Today we woke to driving rain, and it didn't stop all day. Maisy and I had some great moments, She was really listening and when I got my body language right Maisy didn't put a foot wrong, it really felt good today and I was really dissapointed when the show had no choice but to cancel for safety reasons just before a really nice jumping round. Clare and Charlie had 2 fantastic rounds today, Charles was in sprinter mode and pulled a very worthy 5th place in agility.

Amy didn't come out today in favor of shopping!!! guess what new pink wellies and a new pink coat for Summer...Oh Dear...

Qualifiers ans all sorts..

Firstly I have to congratulate the Brickyard Babies on Qualifying for the flyball at Crufts 2010, they managed to win every race in super style, you really looked polished in the ring well done. not forgetting Ben who ran Maisy, Ben has never done flyball before and was thrown in at the deep end, but proved what a Star he is.

Sunday Clare and I met up with Kathryn & Ian at PADS in Derbyshire for Agility - Maisy was a bit manic in the first round so I decided to really work her contacts in the next, unfortunately the judge took exception to my training in the ring!! which actually is understandable, if we all did it the day would go on forever! but it was a good exercise as in the next class she held her contacts really nicely coming out with a few poles here and there, lastly was a nice jumping course which again we had a few poles and 5 at the weaves.

Jo has agreed to come over once a week to give me a bit of handling help, Ronny has a similar style to Maisy so she really understands the issues I keep having. Last night she set up some tricky jumping sequences which in the past would have left both Maisy & I going mad, Jo really helped me to use my arms in the right way to get some really nice results, we rounded up with a small course which was really fun, she left me with some homework which will hopefully help me for Sundays competition. Lastly I have decided to lay of alcohol for the rest of June!!!!! I know!!! OMG.. but I need to get fitter if i'm going to help Maisy get her clear, she really deserves it so lets see how it goes.

What a weekend

Well another weekend of ups and DOWNS.. to start the weekend off Friday was Amy's Birthday so after a lovely home cooked meal we spent a few hours in the pub celebrating. Luckily we had Saturday off to recover! Ellen and I did some training in preparation for Packington, which was good as I felt i had started to see where I was going wrong with my handling. I was really pleased with Maisy on Sunday as although there were still plenty of mistakes she was really listening and I didn't get the out of control feeling once, on Monday I really felt I was letting her down, Maisy has really upped her game now and I just couldn't keep up, I had a bit of a wobble but was really lucky to have Jo to talk me round and ended up running a brilliant 1-7 Helta Skelta not the easiest of rounds but by some miracle I managed to take control and we came out with 5 faults for the weaves, I think over the whole weekend Maisy only took a few poles down so a HUGE thank you to Jo for her wise words.

I can't remember how everyone else got on but I can say I saw lots of rosettes being flashed around and i know Ellen got a third in her jumping class and has a lovely trophy to show for her efforts.

This weekend we are at Derby for agility and have a YKC flyball qualifier at Hatchford Brook, fingers are firmly crossed for a Crufts ticket!!

Finally Happy Birthday to Kathryn for Yesterday, I hope you had a day of thorough spoiling from Ian and the poochesXX

Weekend Starts here

Woke up this morning to clear blue skies, today we have a day off so lots of housework to catch up on before 2 days of agility at packington with Maisy. This afternoon I plan to put in some final training and to paint my see saw.
This morning my husband was practicing his golf in the garden with 4 very willing helpers, no dogs were hurt in the making of this video.... but look at those socks!!

Reactive People!!

Today I have a Bee in my bonnet!! I hate the way that some people insist on using labels for their dogs instead of dealing with issues and working through them, asking for help and listening to advice given. All too often owners grasp onto one way of thinking blocking out reason. Dogs are NOT Humans.. they are pack animals and if we as pack leader show the way with conviction our K9 partners will willingly follow. How, in a litter of 9 innocent babies can one become "reactive" thus making the breeding questionable? my answer is - In a household with 2 dogs both who have "issues" surely this must make the handling, training questionable, not the dogs breeding?? A little information makes some people belive they have all the answers, with animals we never have all the answers, if in doubt ask for help take on board good advice and discard all the rubbish, there will be plenty of it, and some from people who really should know better.
The person responsible for this rant will know who they are if they read my blog, dissapointed doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about the comments which I have read today. I didn't post a comment on your blog as I know you have trainees who probably think you have all the answers - clearly you do not.

It's Monday again

After another hectic, fun packed weekend I find it's Monday already! where does the time go? On Saturday Maisy and I travelled to Worcester for Agility, the weather was a bit hit and miss a bit like our rounds, the last round of the day was jumping where Maisy was really listening out for my commands, at one point she was so far ahead of me as she ran towards the wrong fence I only managed to say "no" and she turned and took the correct fence!! I must admit I was very lucky.. we only had a couple of poles down so I was really pleased with the last performance.
Yesterday Amy and I loaded the dogs into the truck bright and early and went to Arbury hall in Coventry for Flyball, we had both teams racing Summer and Ben were in the Boomerangs while Maisy and Dylan were joined by Kody, Ronny and Keisha in the Bandits team. Both teams had been drawn last in their respective divisions so we really weren't under any pressure and could enjoy the day. Summer was measured and we are very happy to say she is a HEIGHT DOG meaning when she runs in a team the jumps can be set at 12" instead of 14. this was to be Summers first time competing in a proper competition and ran really well, and she really seemed to enjoy it, Ben had only been put down as an emergency dog but found himself running in all three legs in the morning, he had a great time but in the end his legs told him it was time to stop. The rest of the team ran really well despite the horrendous weather, Summers brother Smartie and Hamish ran all day never putting a paw wrong and little Rags found it all a bit much deciding sniffing all the judges was far more interesting than getting the ball. both teams came away having done really well, the Boomerangs came 5th and after some very exciting racing and some very fast times the bandits came a very respectable 3rd, Kody was having his first outdoor tornament and ran his little socks off, he is a joy to watch as we witness his confidence grow each time, he certainly is a fast dog and there is almost certainly more speed to come our PB of the day was 19.75 seconds Woop Woop Jo has had a fantastic weekend, as Ronny won into grade 5 Agility on Saturday with Keisha being placed 2nd, he also won the jumping what a star.
I Judged division 2 in the pouring rain and at points hail, it was much easier than I thought, and can't wait for the next one.

Flyball & Agility

After a lovely weekend off this weekend we are well and truly back to our normal hectic lifestyle!! On Saturday Maisy and I are heading to Worcester for an agility show, I think training went quite well last night but it will all change on the day, hopefully I will control my commands and give Maisy the best chance of that illusive clear round. Sunday we have a very busy flyball competition at Arbury Hall, The Brickyard Boomerangs are racing in the first division of the day, these dogs haven't raced since January so anything could happen, but we have decided to put Summer into the mix as she has really started to enjoy it in training. the next division is the Bandits turn, I'm really looking forward to it as it's our first one outside this season and the dogs always run much better on the grass. I have been asked to judge division 2!!! this will be my first judgeing appointment and I am very nervous, luckily I will have Jo and Amy on the lights to give me a bit of much needed support... Hopefully I won't make too many mistakes, I'll have to swat up on the rules!!!

QUALIFIED FOR CRUFTS 2010

Today Amy and Kathryn attended the Young Kennel Club show at Stafford. Both girls had entered the 17 - 24yrs handling due to a minor problem with Amy's car we decided it would be better for her to take Maisy instead of Dylan. and I'm very proud to say they won the class qualifying for next years crufts, Kathryn also gave a great performance with Diesel and came 2nd so really well done girls. Amy was also entered in the obedience with Summer, unfortunately either the long wait for the class or something spooking her took her mind off the job and Amy ended up withdrawing her halfway through the round, Maisy often takes Summers mind of the job, but it's only inexperience and I'm sure she will redeem herself at the next one. Meanwhile I took the boys out for a lovely walk in the sun, Ben has come back a little stiff!! so back to a few days of lead walking for him, I wish he would take it easy when his legs hurt but thats a collie for you.. Yesterday my parents came for lunch, dad took some lovely pictures of Maisy and Summer below.

bank holiday weekend

Darian day was a great success, Sheila and Hills managed to put on a great event. Luckily I was on hand to help the men errect the various tents etc.. But it was a great day and so nice to see all the Darian owners enjoying their dogs, I particuarly enjoyed the flyball in the afternoon, everyone joined in and we really saw some dashing Darians in action.

Amy missed the morning events due to being at Rugby obedience show, Summer was a star and worked her socks of to Amy's delight, I have to say Summer has really come into her own in the past few months the teamwork is a joy to watch, They have a crufts qualifier next weekend so we will keep our fingers crossed for a good result.

Today Clare and I travelled to Newbury for Vine agility, Maisy had a nice jumping round with just 5 faults in the weaves and an ok agility round, but a bit more contact training needed, b ut I did manage a difficult cross which was encouraging, I know that clear won't be far off now, but I must keep cool in the ring as it really makes a big difference. Charlie came away with 3 really nice clears, he is a really cheeky chappie, we had some lovely cuddles waiting for his run, little monkey. Jo had a fantastic agility round with ronny coming 2nd, he was steaming around the olympia qualifier when he very unfortunately crashed into the weaves, however Keisha came up trumps with a fabby clear I'm still waiting to see if they qualified... I hope so as I would love a trip to olympia.

Ellen and Hamish had a 2nd in agility on Sunday, I must say the video on their blog is brilliant, Hamish looks on really good form, come on little man, lets get that win. and Crafty and Anne had another clear, people keep telling me it was their first but actually it's the 2nd because I was their for the first earlier this year, but really I am so pleased for them, you see what a bit of confidence will do for you.

ultimate pet show

Today Maisy was awesome!! Some days are just amazing, Amy and i went to the NEC for the ultimate pet show today were Maisy and I were in an agiltiy demo, It was a brilliant day and Maisy was brilliant, we felt like stars as we walked around the show between demonstrations, people kept stopping us asking to pet Maisy and to say they had seen her perform and thought she was brilliant. I must admit she really did me proud. there was a 40 weave challenge too Maisy ran as first dog and I think you will tell how good she was weaving like a star.

On the way home we stopped of to see CLare's new puppy Hardy, He was sooo cute and the pictures don't really do his cheeky side justice. Tomorrow we are heading to Stratford for the first Darian day, Amy is joining me later after her obedience competition, so plenty to chat about again tomorrow

WBS Agility

Hhhmmm well I thought about skipping over this weekend, and try erasing it from my memory! Saturday started in the normal way, maisy was completely over the top and Hooned aroung her course with little regard to any contact commands, however she did take the correct weave entry and completed the 6 weaves very nicely, I think we both lost it after that!! we followed that with an appaling jumping round and finished of with what would have been her best round ever until i sent her back into the tunnel getting us eliminated, so we ended on a high, Sunday was a write off!! Maisy and I never got back into our stride and it just went from bad to worse, taking some positives out of the weekend i think we only took 2 poles and finishe the last class with maisy taking the correct weave entry and zooming through all 12 weaves so there are improvements but it does feel like onstep forward and 2 back!! hopefully next weekend will be a forward step.

Ellen let Amy borrow Hamish on Sunday as she was competing in a ???athalon!! running and cycling which she came 4th in Woop Woop.. Hamish had a lovely day out with us being thoroughly spoilt and looked after Amy very well, he had 2 clears gaining a 10th in Agility and a clear in Jumping, although they were eliminated for taking the wrong fence in the last class (something to do with Amy's windmill arms) Hamish went home a happy and contented boy.

Everyone else seemed to have some good and bad rounds, Charlie & I had a lovely game in the sun whilst Clare queued and Kathryn's girls had some lovely bits. Jo had some lovely clears with Ronny and Keisha, always very exciting to watch, and the cuddles from the young mali's were as usual very comforting after a dissapointing run.

I'm at the NEC on Saturday with maisy, with any luck we won't make complete fools of ourselves!! but at least the crowd will get their money's worth...

Mary Ray Day

Today Summer was a little star, she was so well behaved at the training centre, and never looked for me once. Most people had already asked for certain tricks to be trained so Amy just went along with what others were doing. Summer is now doing backwards circles and reverse weaves!! she picked these tricks up in a matter of minutes which again shows how quickly she learns, the clicker has really been an inspiration, I don't think there is anything we could't teach her with the clicker, I'm thinking of showing her how to turn on the hoover..

Summer & Amy

Tomorrow Amy and Summer are booked on a heelwork to music course with Mary Ray, although they have never competed in this sport they both really enjoy the training, and it's a good opportunity to get some more training tips especially from someone like Mary. I'll try to get some pictures and videos of the day and post on Friday.I stole some photo's from the mali-mania blogspot of Summer playing with Zippy at the agility show last weekend, last year Summer played with Kody but he's a bit big for her now so baby Zippy is her new bestest friend, unfortunatly he too will soon grow into a full size Mali but it shows them having great fun together.

Late nights and Early starts

Last night both Amy and I were out,I was standing in as babsitter while Amy hit the town with friends, I was home by 2am so with only 4 hours of sleep to get in I wasn't amused by Stephens loud snoring!! Amy apparantly was back by 3am!! we were on the road by 7am and first thing was to get a nice greasy sausage and egg bap to get us motivated for the day ahead. I had 3 classes today, Team dash with Maisy, Amy & Dylan, Claire & Charlie and Jo with Ronny, a jumping and an agility class. All in all I was thrilled, today for the first time I feel I am taking control and Maisy is following my lead rather than the other way round. She was working away from me and didn't have any poles down in the dash, so it was a great day. Dylan and Amy worked a super jumping round going clear and coming 22nd ot of over 220 dogs and had another clear in the dash. Summer was a little angel, she had a truely lovely time playing with Zippy and worked a very pleasing agility round and wasn't too shabby in the dash with the boxers and Kody. everyone else went home tired after another good da with their dogs. Clare left early as she collects her new GSD puppy today, she has named him Hardy, hopefully I'll have some pictures of him next weekend to share.

Newbury Agility

This weekend Amy and I are at Newbury showground, we have decided not to camp as it is only about 50 minutes drive. This morning we collected Ellen and Hamish on the way and met up with the usual gang at the show. Today all 3 of my classes were 1st in the ring meaning it would be an early finish. First was pairs jumping wich we had Maisy and Dylan in, Maisy went first and had a lovely round with just a few poles down which I am still not counting!! and Dylan followed with a lovely clear, it was just a fun class but was nice to get out of the way. Dylan then did his jumping and was flying round but just took one pole leaving him with 5 faults. then Maisy had her agility and jumping, both of which I was really pleased with, I have started to feel much less paniced in the ring which I think is making a huge difference. Ellen had 5 faults in both Agility and Jumping which was unfortunate handler error!! but Hamish had a lovely time. everyone else seemed to have had a good day, with some clears and some mishaps (Anne need I say more!! lol) but best of all we were back home by 12 meaning I could get some chores done and Summer could have a practice ready for tomorrow, as you can see from the video she is really coming along nicely.

Easter Agility

Goodness what a lot to get through! - I'll start with Maisy we started off on Saturday with some lovely rounds and by the end of the day I was elated with her progress, Sunday was a bit of a disaster I seem to have lost the plot and just didn't get into the "Zone" before my rounds, the Zone is something Clare and I often laugh about knowing someone who actually won't speak to anyone before running their dogs using that exact expression, however we can both now understand why it is so important and I took the time on Monday to really concentrate on Maisy and the rounds and I can happily report it was much much better, I have started walking my courses with Jo as Ronny and maisy are very similar, Jo has given me some really useful advice and for a short time in my last class yesterday I actually felt in control, I love watching Jo run her dogs, she puts so much into it making me realise it's an effort thing - Ellen will know what I'm tallking about....
Amy & Summer had an obedience show on Friday and Monday, Summer did her proud and was a little Angel, she was a little bouncy in her heelwork and was working a bit wider than usual but her retrieve was superb and she even managed her stays on Monday so Amy was thrilled. on Saturday afternoon they came to the show and Amy had a lesson with Alistair from Fox Agility, he really gave Amy some confidence and Summer really showed him how good she can be, Sunday she had an agility run and went really sweetly until I tried to move to the end of the course which Amy had clearly told me not to do!!! so I was in BIG trouble... She also took Dylan in the jumping where he was a little star and gained a lovely clear round and we took Maisy and Dylan in the pairs, Maisy didn't leave many poles for Dylan to jump, i think she was just making it easier for her brother!! needless to say we wern't placed in that.
Amy and I went to see Summers new brothers and sisters on Saturday evening, it was such a good job they are all spoken for at nearly 6 weeks old they were gorgeous, and we came away very contented and feeling a little jelous of their new owners.
As for everyone else at the Agility show I think I can say Kathryn and her dogs had a great weekend, the boxers and Jess are consistently getting clears and when I went into her caravan yesterday afternoon there were far too many rosettes in there for my liking!!! Ellen and Humbug Hamish had a few dissapointing rounds, and a couple of nice placings that little man is so capeable but seems a little confused at the moment, hopefully with a few more weekends under his belt that all important win won't be far away. Clare & Charlie had a good Saturday followed by a dissapointing Sunday and after a little rethink came out fighting again on Monday, Charlie really makes Clare work hard every inch of the way, right from the moment he gets out of the car. It's no wonder she is elated when he has a good run, I'll keep my fingers crossed this new method goes on working for a few weeks to come. Jo and the Malis had a mixed bag again, we watched as many of their rounds as possible, on Saturday evening we sat by the ringside to see the last class of the day, it was nearly 6.30 and both Keisha and Ronny were in the Agility, Keisha went first and set the bar with a fantastic clear round, she is a super technical dog to watch and didn't leave much room for improvement then it was Ronnies turn, he was a complete nutter speeding so fast over the dog walk he came off it, Jo decided that was enough and took him out of the ring before he injured himself! luckily he was taken home to think about his actions and seemed to come back in a much better mood for the remaider of the weekend - phew!
A couple of members from our club had their first show, and came away with good results, in all it was a nice competition with highs and lows. the company was nice if a little overpowering at times and I'm really looking forward to getting on with some training this week in preparation for next weekend at Newbury when we do it all over again....

shuttleworth update

Well, as you can see Charlie & Maisy had a great time at their first camping show of the season!! after a few rule enforcements Maisy and Charlie soon settled together to share the space, Charlie slept peacefully in his giant crate in the awning while Maisy was comfy in the truck.
Once again it was a mixed bag of results but on the whole I was pleased as Maisy was working away from me and taking directional commands although I was dissapointed as her weave entrances seem to have gone backwards!! Clare & Charlie had a couple of clears but he wasn't his normal self on Sunday and Clare pulled him from competition, initially we thought he might just be whimping out but his lameness proved otherwise and he looked as if he had pulled a muscle in his shoulder, lots of rest this week hopefully will bring him back on form for next week. Ellen & Hamish came 10th after a lovely round and had one or two little mistakes taking her out of other placings but they are really looking great as a team and the ellusive win won't be far off now. Jo and the Malis had a nice weekend although Jo doesn't feel Keisha is quite back on form, even though they got a blistering place in the agility. and Lastly Kathryn and Jess won into grade 3 - to be honest I'm getting a little bit bored of all their success"!!!!! (just kidding) and both boxers put in a sterling performance, especially diesel who didn't go under a single jump all weekend. It's Moreton morrel this weekend from Saturday to Monday, I have decided to attack each round and really go for it, I'm letting Maisy down now and really need to get my act together!! I'm really looking forward to another camping weekend, Steve has even said he might pop over for a couple of hours!! my god wonders will never cease.

Shuttleworth this weekend

I've been really impressed by Maisy's training this week, she is really watching for my directional commands and is working ahead of me with growing confidence, I feel much calmer with her now which hopefully I can take into this weekends competitions. On Friday Clare & I are taking my caravan to Shuttleworth for a weekend of agility competitions, this is the first time her GSD Charlie will have to sleep in his new soft crate in the awning, hopefully he won't make too much noise!! I have decided Maisy will sleep in the truck, it shouldn't be too cold but I'll take her jacket for her to wear anyway. It's also the first time I will be towing the caravan with Trev! I don't expect any problems though. Steve has even managed to fix my fridge so at least the wine will be chilled - you have to get your prioroties right. lots of our friends will be at this show camping so I'm sure it will be great fun, lots of pictures to follow.
Amy is staying at home with the other dogs, hopefully she will be using the time to put in some training for her first obedience competition of the year which is at Nottingham on Good Friday, she had her running orders yesterday and has been drawn 1st in "A" so it will be an early start, I don't think she has fully trained her "A" recall yet or scent so I guess she will use it as a training round in preparation for Novice. Amy is the queen of training rounds which is really good for an inexperienced dog like Summer, we keep on reffering to her as "The Puppy" but we have to remember she is nearly 2 now.... Amy has entered a few shows so I expect we will see some well earned results soon enough.

Another Busy weekend

Yesterday Amy and I went to the Midlands Border Collie club Utility Day, Sheila had asked me to train some flyball. The weather was cold and we had a couple of hails storms but all the dogs that took part worked really well and most passed that section without too much trouble. Summer & Amy had a go at sheep herding, Amy was brilliant, and managed to herd them all up sucessfully, however Summer said "I'm not allowed to chase sheep so i'm not looking!! some sheepdog she is LOL once again, it's a very good job she's cute. Today was my final weekend obedience training, which means it is now really the competition season!! when I got home I prepared the caravan for next weekend and took Maisy for some agility training, it was her best yet, she was really working away from me and listening, I kept having troube with the last weave and I just couldn't get her to take it! then I realised I had managed to set up 9 weaves which just threw her as she wasn't coming out where she should do... clever girl. Below is a video of Amy and Summer at last weeks comp, as you can see she starts of really well, both Amy and I have watched it back lots and agree she is a star in the making.

video of amy and summer agility

weave training

just a quickie, i thought i'd post a couple of videos showing maisy's weave training coming on nicely, must try to do more jumping!!!

We are soo tired

what a tireing weekend, Flyball on Saturday was a mixed bag, Ronny got over excited as we were waiting ages for our first run and I think his excitement must have fed to Kody as although he started well his inexperience showed through with him deciding actually running through the start gate away from the pack was too much. The sports hall was really noisy and to an inexperienced dog it must have been very daunting. having said that we finished the morning having won 2 out of 3 races. during the break we revised tac tics and Jo decided she would run Kody in the afternoon which worked out much better, we are sure he will gain in confidence once we are outside, we had to remind ourselves that Keisha had been worried by her first proper race indoors too. Smartie had a great day and ran his little socks off, he went home a very happy but tired boy, as you can see from the photo, he really would have rathered travel in the cab with us than in the new cages with Maisy and Dylan.

Sunday was again an early start and a mixed bag for everyone, Maisy got her weave entrances and wasn't eliminated, mostly my errors although in the last jumping course she was a bit mental to say the least, and just flew with little regard for any of the obstacles... we still have a lot to learn, but I was really pleased with our progress even if it seems slow at times when I think back to last summer, we have come on in leaps and bounds. Summer started really well but as the day wen on her concentration lapsed, when she was in the ring she had one eye out for me, but I bet if I had taken her in she would have been 10 times worse looking for Amy.. so time will tell if Amy decides to continue I really hope she does but it's her call. Ellen and Hamish came away with a few little mistakes but they did get 90% of their contacts which is a vast improvement on her last show, and Clare and Charlie pulled out 2 clears and one unfortunate elimination when Charlie decided he knew the course better than Clare did!! we met all the mali pups who are zippy's brothers and sisters (mali-mania) they were gorgeous, Jo had Keisha and Ronny there too but I don't think she had a great day, although I think she was pleased with their performances. This week if the weather holds I plan to do a bit more training this week so hopefully more vids and pics to come.

Busy Weekend Ahead

This weekend we have a fun packed schedule - on Saturday we have a flyball competition in Sheffield, this will be Kody's first run for the Bandits, he is more than ready to rise to the challenge, lets hope Paul is up for it too!! Unfortunately Alice is unable to come but she has very kindly allowed me to take Smartie so that Maisy can sit out of a few races so as not to overstretch her before her agility competition on Sunday. It seems ages since our last Flyball show and we always really enjoy them, this week we have decided to introduce Kody into the team and try out a few different running orders which should hopefully stand us in good stead for the rest of the season. Sunday Amy and I have all 3 dogs entered again, although Dylan is only entered in one jumping class, i have been practicing his contacts but he is away with the fairies most of the time at a comp! Maisy and Summer are entered in 3 classes each, this weekend we are joined by Ellen & Hamish who now seem to have cracked their contacts making them very exciting to watch and Clare and Charlie, I think this weekend will be their first in grade 2. I would like to get a clear!! I keep saying that but it feels closer than ever especially as training at home is really beginning to pay off. Steve has finished my jumps so I need to get on and paint them, I have also enquired about a friend of ours who has said he will make me a see saw, obviously they will all be in "Flamingo Pink" I will take my camera this weekend so we can capture the proceedings, hopefully Hamish will get beautiful contacts!