At a show - at last!

Well we went on the long journey up to Newton Heath show on Friday night. I decided just to take one pup up with me and that was Draco. Halo had come up with Ruby to Andy's on Thursday night, so she got to play with her sister Qui in the puppy creche. Ruby trained hard on Thursday and I put a lot of effort into it- and despite me desperately trying to maim myself by running into stuff we worked well as a partnership and she is back to full fitness now , and was full of beans bouncing all around and battering my midriff at every opportunity, puck didn't train as I felt he was still too sore form his pad injury.
Any way Draco came with me , and what a little darling he was, slept all the way up, had his supper, a quick run about , a pee and a poo and into the travelodge we went, we went and met up with the Cavill's and Tracy Bennett, and I polished off the best part of a bottle of wine ( I am no drinker!) But after having been told off by Spice ( Rosie's working cocker) Draco settled down to some pampering from m myself and Tracy. Up to the room he jumped up on the sofa and slept the whole night through! I got up had a shower, came out of it and there he was sitting patiently for me, quick check and no pees or poos! I was so proud of him- remember he lives outside and has never spent the night with his dad!
He loved the show and all the admiring people telling him how different and handsome he is/was, he met bro's Kaiser and Flash and had a play with both of them, slept all the way back home - what a great wee chap!
As for the results from the show, well it got off for a great start for Martin Cavill and dylan his cocker spaniel, by winning his calss and winning into grade 7- so pleased for them. Puck ran first in his first ever grade 6 class, it was a belter of a jumping class judged by Fiona Hulse, and would be fast and furious and a chance for him to stretch out his legs. Well he knock jump 3 down as i'd slightly pushed him wide, but then he opened up and powered round the course, I tried to turn him out of the wrong end of a tunnel, but he jumps so long at times, he actually ended up in the tunnel and an E! But it was great fun!
Ruby then in the agility, lovely contacts for her ( no dog walk though) but we got caught out by a jump she ignored to go in a tunnel, so another E! But she enjoyed herself. Straight over to do her jumping- ( only 2 runs at this show) another fast Fiona course, but as we've got the speed just now we've to regain the control, so 4 or 5 wide turns ( 2 Very wide) so ultimately it cost us the prize, but still ended up in 3rd, so I was very pleased for her first show since September.
Now Puck in the agility, lovely contacts ( excellent ups on the A frame - that hoop is working) but I over-cooked him looking for a tight turn and pulled him off the jump ( a good boy0 ) Over the next jump and another E, but he was great fun to run around and in the main was listening to me!
Crufts next so maybe I should run amber for the first time since Olympia, and iron out Ruby's turns and contacts- and then FUN !
Isn't diesel expensive- and entering shows at this time of year!

Over did it!

Halo
Well upped the road work for ruby at the weekend, took puck, draco and halo with me as well, pups had a ball of a time except when another big tall bloke passed me and was walking at 100mph! Pups just carried on trooping along, so i gave chase- as did ruby and puck, well as i've said ruby's speed is there and she runs on tarmac as she runs on grass eventually got the pups back, took them all fro a wee drink by the river, halo , never seen a river before decides it looks like it must be something to be jumped into- it was a proper 'bomb' dive, and now i have a dog who can swim, no better way to teach a dog than to get them to jump in regardless, and make there way back to shore!! Seriously glad she did come back though as the water was bloody cold!
Next day - the consequences, puck very quiet and no bopping around, and ruby even more intolerant of the pups than normal, both skinned their paws! and limping- knobs! So treated with cavilon and some healing salve for dogs I won at beacon a year or two back- knew it'd come in handy! Limping for a day or so, but Ruby back to normal, Puck, the big weed that he is is still under the weather, should be OK for the weekend though and our first comp of 2008! I can't wait, though still deciding which of the pups to bring along for the ride- suggestions?

Proper pics! Taken by Marie

Her dog Belle


This is Poor wee Mo - looking for a loving working home! Pity her ear's ain't moving at all yet ( and she's got the smallest ears)


For those of you who don't mind a bit of swearing and foul language then here is a link to some thing I found on ewe tube, It's about where I live and has some very welsh accents, but I think you'll know the characters ( by the way 'roiders' are steroid abusers!) I haven't laughed this much in years and puts my videoing efforts into perspective ( If only I had the time!)
watch them all as they only get better!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DcseAivYBaI

Idle thoughts!

Well to those who actually read these things I thought that I'd better post another blog, though not much has actually happened in my hum drum little existence!
Tried miserably to take some photos of the pups last weekend with little success as I am so bad at taking photos ( and editing them!) give me a video any day- which reminds me to post some new video soon!
Got to pick my new work car this week, as `I've just been promoted to the National Clinical Nurse Educator ! ( I am Unique- in more ways than one) as I drive about 35-40000 miles a year in the thing I thought long and hard about the choice ( It has to be within a certain amount of money) in the end it was between a Mazda 6 estate and a Volvo V50 estate, as the Mazda est isn't out till about may I decided on the Volvo estate- not the biggest car in the world, and I'll need to get a new car cage but it is a souped up sporty estate in a pearly dark blue colour, with black and white sporty leather seats etc, I get it at the end of March.
Took Ruby training up to Andys this week, Note to self- must do more training! I'm sure all the other people in the Crufts champs are training more than 1 hour a week! Her speed is back now with a vengeance, need to tighten her up now and get her fitter, it 'll be the super nipples she has now that'll cause us problems in the coming season, instead of having one big nipple we now have a uniform 6-8 big nipples! We've also got a right turn issue at the moment, so we'll iron that out this week. She is so headstrong on the contacts though, just as she starts to get one another one goes! I wish I had the security I have with pucks contacts that I have with her's ! I can see now why contacts aren't an issue for some other handlers, it's also myself that I've got to work on- ie being consistent in body position on the contacts as she takes her cue's from that. We've got the speed back, now to work on the control. Got my Newton Heath running orders through today, not a big show at all! Only 40 grade 7's and 100 grade 6's and 90 in the ABC! it'll be Puck's first grade 6 runs (remember he won out at the beginning of September last year! and ruby's first comp since chippenham! Needless to say I can't wait!
Got a copy of the official Olympia dvd this week -presentation should have been dramatically better than it actually is for the money that was paid for it! But actually saw ambers missed contact- she missed 2 a-frames this year- one in the DIN abc final and the other at Olympia (consistant) I think she missed her normal stride pattern on the way up the A frame and it made her 'short' on the down and her momentum carried her off- she ran so well for me that day though, her weaves were awesome, I wish she'd do it week in week out - keep forgetting she's got Crufts as well- first run at 8.30 on the friday morning!

Picture of Indie before he went to Scotland


Picture of him this week- what ears and so handsome!

Some of the poor pics I took last weekend
Halo



Little 'mo' (red and tan) still hoping for a home- any readers please pass the word about!

Walks on the beach

Actually got to take some of the pups to the beach (or very near to it!) yesterday, we tagged along with Marie whilst she took one of her customers dogs for a walk.
Draco and Halo had a great time of it, and it brought certain facets of their kelpie personality out that we really hadn't noticed before. Halo was the active one chasing and herding the collie up and down the sand dunes, Draco was the lazier, or more clever one - depending on your view point as he did a bit of chasing, but lots of casting from a distance!

Halo (With the pink collar) Draco behind her

Draco showing good "eye"

Halo showing what a good girl she is!


Puck and Ruby went training at Browns training on Thursday, both trained very well, Ruby is now back in shape, and has her speed back, now I need to 'Up the ante' with her and begin to run her instead of coasting! Work on the contacts is coming along, but she is hard nosed and insists she knows best when it comes to the contacts!
Puck , after a boisterous start decided to to some stunning work - even his jumping was good - if horrible to watch (not one for style marks is Puck!) His agility is where he excels, and his hula hoop for the up's is paying dividends and he is flowing up the contacts now, strange how he works so much better in the agility rather than the jumping, but we're getting there!

Little Mo is still in need of a home, and some interest has been shown, but no takers so far- it's a real pity as she is a stunning little girl, sharp and keen to learn, bold and upright, she'd make a super agility dog as she is so much like her dam. Belle is a little sweetie, she melts into your arm's when you pick her up and ,for a kelpie at this age -is very well mannered and is a 'thinker' working things out for herself, always looking for the high ground to make her presence felt.

Belle

Belle (upper) MO (lower)


Had a lovely pic I thought I'd share with you sent all the way from Northern Ireland- new litter of Chi"s