WAG runs - youtube

Hopefully below is the runs from WAG on youtube. I have a couple more to add but will do them in the next day or two.

Thanks again to Leah for videoing.

WAG and Socks!!!

Went to WAG show on Sunday. Decided I needed to run my dogs in some sort of "competition", however it is only sort of as the WAG shows are held where I train so my dogs are used to running there. But better than nothing and hey who wants travel far this time of year.......... you do.......... gulp, I must be really un-dedicated lol. Any way, Twix had a pole in the agility but I was happy with her contacts. Jag did a nice clear round but I trained his contacts. Twix's were stop and go contacts. Which is what I have been doing to try and make them a little quicker. Hm I think they are better but still work in progress.

Accumulator, well they are a waste of time really, accept to train contacts, so that's what I did. J

Jumping round, Twix had a pole... grr, think she was 1.5 seconds behind Jag, which for reasons to be later explained probably wasn't bad. Jag was a good boy and won the class.

Helter skelter, well we had a bit of a laugh. My friend Karen has a stunning dog. He is really quick and the sort of dog you would love to get ya hands on, which I do manage every now and then!!! Any way, Karen and Chequer (grade 1!) did a blinding round in the helter skelter and put in a time of 21.226. I knew this would be hard to beat. So my challenge, push Jag as hard as I could and try and beat her time. Well we managed it...... just. Jag did the course in 20.951 so not really a lot ahead. Sadly he had a pole. But if he had been slower than Cheq, I never would have lived it down. Twix didn't do the helter skelter.. see below!! Was really pleased for Karen. Also well done to Leah and Jay for some good results and Leah's friend Vicki for a clear round with her absolutely totally and utterly gorgeous lab (see Leah's blog for video).

Leah kindly sent me the video below of three of my runs. One of my other friends videoed Jag's jumping and hopefully I will have that to add at some point as well. Thank you Leah.



So onto the reason for me being pleased with Twix and her not running the helter skelter.... Twix has a sock fettish.. yes the truth is out. Try as we might and careful as we are, the little b*tch will insist on nicking any sock she finds and she doesn't manage to find many. Any way after her jumping run on Sunday she started to be sick. Luckily my really lovely vet was also at the show and just gave Twix the once over for me. She couldn't find anything wrong. So off I went home. Well Twix was sick all night and yes I do mean all night! So I started thinking hm, think she may have had a sock. Lunchtime on Monday, after having taking an emergancy day holiday (very understanding boss.. helps when they have animals!), she passed part of a sock. Was that it..... well, took Twix to see vet in the afternoon. Vet gave jab, should clear her out. No sick on Monday night, no pooh either. Tuesday, breakfast eating was painful. No sick, no pooh. Evening ate some food. But not much. Poor Twix was really moping around by now. Thought if she down't pooh by Wednesday evening it will be back to the vets. Well this morning... she poohed..... a huge black sock!!!!!! God knows how uncomfortable she must have been. But I have never been so glad to see one of my dogs pooh before!!! Look away now if you are eating.. But I did have to chuckle at the situation this morning, me outside 7.30am, frost morning, slippers, dressing gown pulling a poohy sock from my dogs bum. The things we do! Thankfully tonight Twix is back to normal. And all those little habits that are usually irritating suddenly seem quit comforting!!

TAGGED!!!!!

Ok not sure I get this tagged thing... But here is the pic....



Picture is of Mika. My first Border Collie. She was born 17th Feb 1996, day after my birthday. She was my most nagged after birthday present. Boy did I have to work hard for that one. But she was worth it. We never hit the heights in agility. And from 5 years of age onwards, Mika or moo moo as I used to call her, was never the healthiest of dogs after starting to having epileptic fits. But she was a really loving little dog. She died in September 2005 aged 9. Way way to young :-(

Trouble is that I seem to have been tagged a few times and so do all the others bloggers that I regularly look at. So who the heck to I tag!!!

So "what's going on"

Blog all really. Everyone else seems to be able to type so much on their blogs. I must have a very boring life!

So since December, eh, both dogs are back to full training now. Both are just a little over their ideal weight, no not fat but not optimum. And I wouldn't say either of them are as fit as they should be. Yes I know it's my fault. My but is that I was trying to think the other day when I last trained the dogs properly and consistently. It has got to be back in October or early November. So no wonder we are a bit rusty and not that fit. That includes me of course, the not being fit! lol. I ended up having a break from the gym just before and over Christmas and have only really got back to it for the last two weeks. I feel better already. Just need to keep it going now.

Training day seemed to go well. I did have a fair few e-mails from people saying they enjoy it which is always nice. I spend the few days before hand and most of the day wishing I had never arranged the training. For some weird reason I get really really scared!!

Christmas came and went without much too much excitement. Obviously I enjoyed the break and Christmas day. But it was a nice quiet one, just the way I like it.

Went back to training on 5th Jan, nice and early. Have managed to get some training in with Toni which is great as no one manages to nag me into doing things right, quite like Toni does. And my handling has def. slipped so thanks mate.

Off to Ribble later on today. Yes it's a long way but I really want to do a show now. So I guess I might update the blog after Ribble. I don't normally have a negative attitude about how well I will do at a show (or not) but I am really not expecting anything great this weekend, just purely down to my crap handling at the moment and the dogs not being at peak fitness. But i'm sure we'll have fun trying!

Oops in trouble again!

Well now I am in trouble for not individually naming Leah in my good luck at Olympia message!! So good luck to Leah as well as Toni and Nancy... oh and ANYONE else that is at Olympia that I haven't named individually.

Very interesting!!

Ok maybe not. Sorry false hope there. Why does everyone else seem to have more to write on their blog than me! I must lead a very quiet (read boring if you like) life!

It's been all the usual stuff. Work is well... work! It's not great. All a bit quiet and just a little worrying.

Back.. well this is loads better! So going to Osteo has worked. He did a very good job even if I do feel skint now. I think it was worth it. I have one more session left to go and that's done then. I wouldn't hesitate to go back if ever I need to. Is def. worth looking after yourself properly.

Agility.. managed to train both dogs for an hour each on Monday. First time for ages. Was really good fun. Both dogs worked really well and I feel like I have got my enthusiasm back. So am looking forward to doing lots of training with my dogs over the Christmas break and trying to get us all ready for Ribble.

Teaching.. training day with Toni on 28th is nearly full so that's good. Not too worried if we don't get anymore as we have nice size groups at the moment. Lets just hope it goes well. I have finished teaching my regular Thursday group for this year. There are some brilliant people in there that make it worth going to teach and there are those that make you want to bang your head against a very strong brick wall. But all in all as people they are a great bunch. If only I could get them to understand the importance of training contacts!!

Am judging at WAG on Sunday. Not sure I am looking forward to it (see last post for why) but I have designed my courses and will see how it goes. I have bought a thing called snuggle safe heat pad that you heat in the microwave and stays warm for up to 8 hours. So I will have that to keep me warm.

Next Saturday is Olympia. Bombed out competing wise this year but am going as Toni's groom. Am really looking forward to that.

Toni has her contacts DVD out now. I have seen it and was very impressed. Toni has stunning contacts with Kite and Minx and it shows exactly how they were done. It is a good step by step guide.

Hm what else... off Christmas shopping on Monday. Will be glad when it's all done. But then I have to wrap it all... eek.

I guess it just remains to say good luck to all the bloggers that are at Olympia. Obviously I will be rooting for Toni. I know Nancy has worked hard with Niamh and am so pleased to see Nancy back at a big final.

Not a lot going on!

Well as the title suggests, not a lot going on. Very boring (sorry). Training... well haven't done much of that. My dogs have had a month off each and then I managed to hurt my back, so I haven't been running them. Tried on Monday and was ok but not great. I was going to run both but Twix managed to cut her paw on the Sunday so just ran Jag which was nice but I wasn't running him properly but he was such a good boy.

I guess it isn't long until Christmas so will just potter through and to a little bit of training but i'm sure the extended rest won't dog the dogs (or me) any harm.

No shows to report on either. Well not for my dogs. Last Sunday there was a WAG show which I went to to watch some of the people I train and I also thought I might be able to help out a bit as Leah was judging. We had a good laugh! But I soon learnt that you can't please everyone and some people just can't seem to stand people being to happy, hey ho. I won't need to help as much in future! But I think having a laugh passed the time of day. Poor Leah was stuck judging for over 10 hours and it was flippin freezing. I know most people appreciated Leah's courses and the time she took to judge everyone. Well done Leah. Just a shame there were the odd few people that couldn't see past themselves!

My club enjoyed the show. Between 3 of them, they won all the grade 1/2 classes.

Toni and I are doing a training day on 28th December. So should be enjoyable. Have lots of people already but still some spaces left. Be good to run off all the Christmas pud.

So what next... well a series of going out getting drunk nights! And then the pain of deciding what the heck to buy everyone for Christmas! I always say I dislike Christmas but it's not really Christmas I dislike, its that bit before. To add to it both my parents have Birthdays at Christmas too. One on 19th and one on 27th, so double the presents to think of... ahh!!!!

Well thats about it really. I hope all the other bloggers are fighting fit and looking forward to Christmas.