Just because I like these..........

And my favourite of all.........

Spring is really here at last!!!

Well, what a boring, though productive, bank holiday weekend we have had! We spent nearly all our time spring cleaning the house, and sorting out things that haven't seen the light of day for years! As we will probably be moving later in the year (albeit to an unknown location as yet) we really thought it was a good opportunity to have a clear out and get a head start on the list of jobs we have had for a while!

The downside of so much cleaning is that our hoover burst into flames. Quite literally! So this morning we headed out to buy a new one. The great thing about this is that for the first time, we have made progress with Scooby and his 'hooverobia'! He is terrified of hoovers. And I mean terrified. Normally as soon as it comes out he is at the top of the house, hiding behind whatever he can find, making himself as small as possible. I swear I saw him smile when we binned it :-)! When we brought the new one in, he had no idea the box contained an alternative version of his old enemy. So of course his head was straight in the box, playing with the packaging. Then when it came out and was making no noise, he still had no idea what it was, so we taught him to nose touch it for his faviourite treats. Over the course of an hour we went from that, to actually turning it on and getting Scooby to take treats from my hand whilst I was hoovering. I am sure that you all think I am mad, but it was the only fear that we just couldn't help him with, and I hate to see him so scared. It is a total miracle to have Sccoby within a 10 foot radius of it! We had tried this exact process with the old hoover, and no matter how slowly we went it just wasn't helping, so I guess the fact that it was new helped him to overcome that initial fear. Lets hope it lasts!!

I also took the opportunity to give all the dogs a really good groom. Maisie has had a full branchage and now looks like she has had a fight with a lawn mower, but at least a bit less like a sheep. I will post a picture of her as soon as I remember to take the camera out with me. She looks hilarious!! Health wise she seems much better, and is responding really well to her medication. Her confidence is definitely coming back, and she is becoming more independant again. On todays walk she actually seemed like a younger dog again, which was so lovely to see. Long may it continue!! The next stage will be to slowly wean her off the medication and watch her closely for any sign of a relapse. I'm not in any rush to do this though, as I would far rather feel she is fully recovered first before rushing her off the medicine.

Last night we went to see Marley and Me. I have to say that I was slightly disappointed. I really enjoyed the book when I read it, and I felt that the film rushed through the story a bit too much. It didn't really go into how much the family had learnt from having a dog, but seemed to gloss over lots of things that I really liked about the book. I guess it was too 'hollywood' for me. But having said that it was still very funny, and really sad at the end, and I worked my way through a box of Kleenex during the last fifteen minutes.

Finally I had been trying to decide whether to do KC International and DIN this year. We hoped we would have moved by then, but its looking unlikely. Paul can't get the time off work so I would have go go on my own. And that would mean on my own, camping in a tent!!!! Blimey, I mean I love agility, but do I love it that much?? Well I think I have decided that I am going to give it a go. The alternative was a Travelodge, but they charge so much for dogs now that it is way too expensive. So this week I am going to go and start looking at tents and associated equipment to make it as comfortable as possible. Any tips gratefully received!?!

And finally a mention of agility (after all that is what the blog is supposed to be about!). I am working really hard on geting Smudge to release from the dog walk on my verbal command instead of my body language, as I think that is part of our problem in the ring. Strangely he doesn't bust his A frame, but he does his dog walk if I raise my arm. Must be something in the way I originally taught him. That is my main goal before May begins. Once May starts we have really busy time with shows, so I would love his contacts to be firm before then. I am also going to start trying to run Scooby, as Paul has agreed that I can take him to KC with me (hold on to your hats!). Scooby and I have never really got on in agility, but I am hoping that with age comes wisdom (thats me, not the dog! haha)

UKA Scrambles and the Sheltie Show

Smudge and I have just got back from a very tiring, but very enjoyable weekend!! We left last Thursday and headed over to the UK for three days of agility. Unfortunately when we arrived we were delayed in getting off the ferry, so we didn’t end up arriving at Bernadette’s until around 11 o’clock at night, not a good start for the tiredness!! Plus I had to drive up in the dark – not something I particularly enjoyed!

The first two days were spent at UKA Scrambles. I had never done a UKA show before, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Far more relaxed and I had plenty of time to sit and watch other dogs work, which was great as I could look at different handling styles and watch how people were choosing to run their courses. Very interesting. I also loved the fact that I could train in the ring. Smudge was a bit out of sorts on arrival. I guess it was a combination of factors really, the fact that he had travelled so far without the other dogs, plus he was staying somewhere completely different. Our late arrival meant he hadn’t settled properly all night and we had travelled to the show in Bernadette’s car. All in all he was a bit overwhelmed! So to be able to go in to the ring and just have fun with him was excellent. We trained his contacts and rewarded him after the weaves etc which was really nice, and excellent training for maintaining his contacts in competition! (I hope!) Unfortunately the handler just didn’t get her head on straight at all (could someone take me into the ring and train me please?? :-)) and silly mistakes I made were very frustrating!

The day I was really looking forward to was the sheltie show. And I loved it (despite the ridiculously early start and the dusty venue!) One of my favourite shows so far as it is so relaxed, even with all the barking! It was nice to finally meet lots of people who I have only ever previously spoken to via a computer. Smudge was running far better, and I felt he was finally at least running with his usual speed and enthusiasm. He definitely did himself proud on that day. We had a nice clear in the G1-7 Helter Skelter and came 2nd. A fantastic result! The prizes at the sheltie show are these lovely mugs – aren’t they gorgeous? I was determined to get one!

Can you believe this little sheltie is half sister to Mannix?! What a difference!! This is Pip (Clanavon Brown Sugar) and is owned and run by a lady called Sue.

Smudge travelled in style!
Meeting Zaz and Itsy for the first time was really nice. They are just the cutest pups! Smudge thought so too and had a great time playing with them. Although I think he may have finally met his ‘bouncing’ match in Itzy! Normally Smudge is the one bouncing up at the other dogs, and with Itzy it was very much the other way around. He had no idea how to react to her!

Look at those eyes!

Our ferry back wasn’t the smoothest of trips. It was running on three engines, instead of four, which meant it was slow. Then it sucked up a fishing float and they had to get divers out to remove it! Typical! So we eventually made it home at 9pm last night and I am now exhausted. The other dogs were so happy to see me, and I had missed them so much. Although Maisie is in a bit of a huff I think. How dare I leave her with all those nasty boys?? :-)

So I now have a good training plan for the next few weeks, which hopefully will help improve our performance before the show season goes into full swing. Lots to work on I think!!