Catch up!

Wednesday well that was work then gym. My friend couldn't with me on Wednesday night so had to go on my own. Boy is it hard to motivate yourself to go on your own. I enjoy going with my mate Karen as we have soooo much to chat about. I teach Karen at agility and so we have lots to talk about on that front. As well as general gossip and Karen also competes in obedience and is just about to start up her own obedience club. So plenty to chat about there. Any way I did go and glad I did really.

Thursday was teaching night. A some what frustrating evening. Now I will be the first to admit that I am not a natural teacher! No where near. I don't have the patience for it. But I try my best and most people seem to understand what I mean and if they don' then they ask. I did find myself wondering on Thursday though, how some people seem to be able to not even nearly grasp the mere basics of agility. It would be quite embarassing had some experienced been looking in. I'm sure they would have thought with some people that I never bothered with basics! Hey ho! Better week next week. Maybe I want people to do to well.... maybe I want some of them to do better than they want to do themselves????

Friday I was meant to go to the gym but again Karen couldn't make it and this time the want not to go did get the better of me! I went shopping with my Mum instead. I bought a tracksuit type top and a pink t-shirt. I think I will save both to wear at Crufts.

Saturday was off to do some training with Toni and Lee. Really look forward to the times I get to train with them. They pick up so much which is what I really miss on a weekly basis. And was needed before Crufts. Lee picked up that Twix, if give a long run onto the dog walk, isn't running up it she is actually jumping at the up contact. She is then hitting the up ramp so hard that it is knocking a lot of speed out of her. Now her contacts are actually way quicker than they were last season. I am wondering if her extra confidence and speed is what is making her leap at it. She certainly didn't do it when I made the approach shorter. Very strange. Will have to watch that one as I don't like the effect it could have on her shoulders.

Jag was a good boy. Nothing major to report. His contacts were good and solid and he is turning well and listening. What more could I ask.

All in all it was a good training session. And I am now thoroughly tired but happy.

Tomorrow I am off to the gym with Karen! so no chance of sneaking out of it. Then I have the delight in the afternoon of taking an old family friend on a hoover hunt! Nice. I will make sure I am home in time though to take the dogs out to do some obedience and go for a nice walk.

No more new pics of mine or the car i'm afraid. I will get round to it honest.

Instead here are two pics of Spud and Mika, my first two dogs. Spud would have been 16 on 14th Feb and Mika 12 on 17th Feb. Bless them both. They have a lot to answer for... a love of agility and a love of collies. I hope they are playing well together somehwere.

Course

Have added numbers for the course that my second class did. I call them my junior class. They are all about 2 1/2 ish, the group that Twix started with.




Pic for car...



Am really liking my car. Seems to be quite economical though hard to tell exactly but can't be worse than my old one.

I just have to decided what I want to do to kit it out in the back. At the moment the dogs are in a fabric kennel in the bag which is barely big enough for them. So I am not happy with it for more than a very short term solution. Any way tonight they had a bit of a barny in it... well it was more of a couple of growls but they never normally do that so am going to have to decide what I want. A mate had car cage that I was going to buy but it is just too big.

I have my tailgate and guard up on the fleamarket and am going to put them on ebay but if anyon knows anyone that wants a Zafira gate and guard.. I have one!!!

Think I will order my new tailgate tomorrow.

Training

Went to do some extra training tonight. Was only a few of us. Jag and Twix were both really good. We hire the school for the evening so after I had run mine we had four of my pup group doing some extra. They are all between 14 months and 16 months now so nearing "that" age. They are doing really well.

We had a breakthrough with one of the dogs and weaves tonight. The dog is mental for his toy and will leg it through the channels to a toy weather that be his handler with the toy at the end, me with the toy or simply the toy on the floor. But hold the toy in your hand and there is no way he is going through. So tonight I decided as we had time and I believe the dog does know what to do with the weaves, that I would stand there with the toy behind my back and just wait for the dog to go through the weaves of his own accord. Thank goodness he did... eventually. At which point I screamed well done and lobbed the toy. I was just trying to make the dog think about doing them to get his reward rather than using his reward to get him to do them if that make sense! any way, each time the dog came back and I took the toy he got quicker and quicker at realising what he had to do to get the reward.

So then I handed him back to his owner who did exactly the same. We aren't using a command but are just going to wait until the dog dives back through everytime he comes back to the handler.. then we will add a new command (different to the one he has been using). Am hoping this will do the trick.

So that's it so far this week.

Gym tomorrow, training Thursday, gym Friday and no idea what I am doing at the weekend... a whole free weekend. No doubt I will be bored lol.

31... gulp!!

Thursday.... Hm, well work then training or should I say teaching. I rarely get to run my dog on a Thursday! Teaching was ok. Course below.




I made a full course out of it for two of my classes and the other two did sequences. The night went ok mainly. And the classes that did the full course seemed to enjoy it. I used the format of running the course then chattng about it then doing it again. I will use the same course this week and do bits of it to see if we can tighten up the "problem" areas. The class that did sequences last week wil do the full course this week.

Was very late to bed on Thursday night / Friday morning!!! I discovered on Thursday that I couldn't find the V5 registration document for my car! Gulp. No V5, no new car. So was up until nearly 2.00am looking for it. Couldn't find it anywhere.

Friday I had half day at work so that I could go and pick my car up in the afternoon. Well only if I could find the V5! Any way I rushed home from work, cleared the car of my bits, took tailguard out etc then went on V5 hunt. I couldn't find it anywhere. We were just about to leave for the garage to go and explain and see if there was anything we could do, i.e take the car, get a copy and give them a copy this week as my Dad works for the place I bought the car from. I had one last inspired look in a diffrent place and guess what.. found it! Phew. So went and picked my car up.

Will add some pictures as soon as I can take them. But I really like it. Feels lovely to drive. Very comfy. They even left it with a full tank of diesel... wow.

Went out to dinner Friday evening. Had a lovely Chinese. Was 12 of us in the end and we had a jolly good laugh! Toni picked me up so I was able to have a few drinks.

Saturday was my Birthday. I had a nice lay in then opened all my cards and pressies. Mainly got money to spend, I must be hard to buy for lol. Toni and Lee bought me, amongst other things, two fleece platted leads. Actually Lee makes them and strangely I had wanted him to make to but not mentioned it to either of them. Somehow they managed to make the perfect colours as well... exactly as I was gonna ask for. So new leads for the show season.

Went shopping in the afternoon. Typically couldn't find anything I wanted. Might have to save birthday cash for Crufts. Did treat myself to new car mats lol WOW!

Sunday was WAG, just for Twix. Wendy Card judged and set some lovely courses. Just right. Twix ended up with a 2nd in agility and a 3rd in helter skelter. Would have been 2nd in the jumping but for a knocked pole. All in all a good day.

Now I am knackered!! And thinking I ought to really iron my trousers for work lol.

Oh and Nancy... car is still clean!

Update... been nagged!

Ok I have been nagged to update my blog (am doing ok Gemma!!! lol).

Well what have I been up to hm.

Saturday... Still had the house to myself, bliss!! Went swimming with a friend of mine in the morning. First time I have been swimming for 12.. yes 12 years! I had forgotten what hard work it was. No wonder I was such a fit kid. I used to swim two or three times a week and compete at weekends. Well few lengths I was shattered.

Any way on leaving the pool my friend and I decided to go and get something to eat.. not my fault it was a full English. lol. So much for swimming.

Walked the dogs in the afternoon down on the beach. Then went home and promptly fell asleep.

Sunday was WAG day! Was really looking forward to this. I wanted some Crufts practice for Jag and was also excited that both dogs were going to be running the same courses and therefore I could get a comparison time wise for the pair of them.

Leah was judging and set some interesting courses. I liked them as it made me work! My aims for the day were being "with" Jag, something that has been missing for a while, Jag waiting! And nice touchpoints. For Twix it was to see how her touchpoints were speed wise and of course to compare their times.

Well what a good day! Jag came 2nd in 3 classes and Twix came 3rd in one one.

Jag waited in each class and his toucpoints were lovely. I felt like we were working as a partnership and did feel in control. So I can't ask for more than that. I ran Twix's contacts in the agility until she had 5 and then decided I should train the remaining one... which was the only one she flew (see-saw). Her dog walk and a-frame were great. Quicker than last year and all the way to the bottom into a stop before I released. Good girl!!!

Jason kindly videoed Jag and Twix's agility runs and these can be seen on Leah's blog.

The best bit............. the jumping. Jag's 2nd place time was .01 behind the winner and Twix's time............ .29 behind Jag!!! Wow! I was very very very very (did I say very) impressed with my little girl.

Someone did video the jumping and helter skelter runs so hopefully I will have them at some point to add to the blog.

So all in all a good day. Went home shattered but happy. And with a few more wine glasses for camping!!

Monday was back to work :-( training in the evening which went well. That was after I managed to get there!

I was stuck on the telephone for and hour and half trying to sort out my car insurance with the most rubbish insurance company in the world (in my opinion of course!) Direct flippin Line!! GRRR Basically... I had phoned to ask them to change my car insurance over to my new car as from midday on Friday. To which they told me I wasn't currently insured with them. Gulp! I had had an automatic renewal in January and as it says all over it "you need not do anything" I didn't. It turns out that they, thorugh their own fault, didn't renew my insurance. So I had been driving around for over 2 weeks uninsured. Not impressed.

Any way there were lots of things they did wrong and lots of things that annoyed me. It took 90 minutes to sort it out and then their customer service people called me back yesterday to listen to my compalint. The upshot is that I have cancelled my insurance and will write a letter of complaint to FSA.

Tuesday evening Toni, Lee and I got together to do so pre-Crufts training. Was great. I love training with those two perfectionists. They really make me work hard and think. Just what I needed. It was flippin cold though.

Tonight was gym night and rest!! I feel knackered.

Tomorrow is teaching night.

Friday.......... yipee new car day. Yes I am excited. Then in the evening I am out to dinner with a group of 14 people from our club.

Saturday.... My birthday. Shopping I think!!

Sunday.... WAG just for Twix though as it is 1-5 but will be good for.

Will let you know how it all goes.

Have a happy week.

P.s......... Is that Ok Gem!!

Sunny days!

How nice has the weather been the last couple of days!!! I saw the forecast for today and decided to take the day off of work. A nice lay in followed by a nice long walk on the beach and the off to the gym. Quite a relaxing day to spend a day off work. And yes I did take my camera. I feel ashamed that you guys always seem to have loads of lovely pictures and video on your blog. Can't help with video really as I don't have a camcorder but I think I might have persuaded someone to video my dogs at WAG on Sunday.

So pictures.......












I love the head shot of Jag. Couldn't quite get Twix to sit still long enough!! The shot across the water was just to show how lovely it was at the beach today.

Don't think anything else exciting has happened.. well apart from buying a new car. Well new to me!! I am looking forward to picking it up now.

Going swimming tomorrow morning then WAG on Sunday so that will be another weekend over.

Weekends... restfull! Hm!

So update since last blog. Thursday was back to my teaching evening. And after the week I had had before getting very frustrated with some people, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I decidedto re-use last weeks course as there was so much left we can do. It was actually a quiet ish evening as the weather was so naff!! Nothing really changed. Those that work hard, had obviously been doing so and did on the night, those that don't, didn't. So guess I shouldn't be disappointed.

The pups seemed to have a good night though. Most of them are "due out" towards the end of May or begining of June. I'm a bit scared about making sure they are all ready for the off but then they are also all doing so well. I really hope they all do well. I wish some of the realised how much I wish for them to do well!!!

Friday was a bit of a mad day. After finishing work I went straight to the gym... now that's dedication lol. Or was it just that I hadn't been since Tuesday! Any way I did just over an hour there. Went home got some thing to eat, showerd and changed and then went training. Toni had organised an extra nights training for some friends of hers that wanted to come down and train with her, so invited me along as well so that there was two of us to nit pick, as well of course as getting in that vital extra training for Crufts!!!

I was very grateful for the extra training as it was the only time I trained Jag during last week as he cut his paw last Sunday. He seems to be doing this every few weeks at the moment. I am thinking of wrapping him in cotton wool and hiding him until Crufts!

The weekend wasn't very exciting but for some reason very tiring!! Saturday was gym, followed by doing some training in the park and then a nice walk. Was different in the park this week, I avoided going last weekend after my run in with the mad woman. This week I had few people stop and watch me train. And say how good it looked. Hm normal people, at last! Then I was out for the rest of the afternoon.

England lost the Rugby :-( not good. Sunderland (my football team) also lost :-( so not good sport wise.

Sunday I decided that I needed to tidy my car up before the shows start out again. Now it has to be said that I haven't cleaned it for quite a while (I can almost see Nancy cringing as I am saying this!). It was filthy inside. Well apart from stopping for an hour or so for lunch, I worked on it from 11.30 - 5.00!! And that was only the inside. Any way it is clean now. Cleaner than it's been in months. So the dogs better not get it messy!

I will take it to some guys who clean cars on the industrial estate where I work, tomorrow. They clean the outside for about £6 which is not much more than the machine cleaner things and the do a much better job.. oh and I don't have to get cold and wet. Always a bonus.

After cleaning the car I took the dogs for a road walk. I have decided this is the safest way of exercising them at the moment!!!! I really don't want any more cut paws. I really feel completely unprepared for Crufts at the moment. Not a feeling I like.

Next Sunday I am going to run both at the WAG show.... so Leah, nice courses please!!! And apologise in advance for training my agility! Well with Jag any way.

At least it's been dry outside.

Oh and Bernadette and Nancy, I am so jealous that you have equipment to use right by your houses.. grrrr lol.

God I really do waffle on these bloggs. Have you all fallen asleep yet.

Oh and as for the comment about someone has sicked on my wellies, you're only jealous!

I hope all the other bloggers have had a good weekend.