Puppy progress

I don't know if I dare write this down, but I'm so pleased I think I'm going to have to - Diva hasn't had an accident indoors for 5 whole days! What a clever, little puppy! I am very proud of her, as today I've watched her take herself outdoors a couple of times to go to the toilet - it does help that we have a cat flap that she's prepared to use. She looks kind of surprised when I rush out to tell her what a good girl she is, but pleased nonetheless for having a bit of fuss :-)

I am really enjoying bringing Diva up, and I feel happy and confident that we're on the right track for our particular journey. I have been in debate with our puppy school instructor on some of the socialising opportunities with the other pups, as I have erred on the side of caution rather than let Diva have a bad experience by playing with the bigger puppies. Plus I don't want her to learn that other dogs might be more interesting than my good self :-) Admittedly even Martin Tait thinks I'm being woosy. But regardless of what other people think, I need to be comfortable with the decisions I make for MY puppy and she will have faith in me as long as I do. Self belief is at the crux of dog training as dog's know when our heart isn't in something. It's my unwavering belief in the knowledge that I have raised 4 other puppies who's company I now enjoy as adults, that gives me the confidence to say that this puppy will be another great dog too.

The science and understanding of dog training is constantly expanding. That along with the fact that each dog we ever train will be different from the one that went before, means that we shouldn't ever believe that there isn't more we can learn. I recently came across this link with some fascinating information regarding the concepts of pack dynamics and the dominance theory which is so often bandied about. It makes for interesting reading, so have a read and let me know what you think:

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/

Today I am grateful for the wealth of information available to me and my dog training peers, and the buzz I get out of learning about my favourite subject.

Late Christmas Eve

My mum and I have not long finished my youngest son Callum's Christmas sack. It's a big, padded sack in Christmassy material, with his name embroidered in green on the front. My eldest Jamie has one too, made for him for his first Christmas. I can't believe that his time last year I was pregnant with Callum, and the year before that with Jamie! He will be 2 years old in a couple of weeks time, and it's hard to believe that all that time has gone by. We can't imagine our lives without our beautiful children and we really do celebrate the fact that our family has been so blessed to have them.

Today I am grateful for my Mum who is such a constant source of love for me and my little family. I couldn't have made Callum's Christmas sack without her, and she is one of the few who understand just how important it is that these small things get done. Happy Christmas everyone!

"Gosh you have your hands full!"

Now admittedly I was a little tired when what felt like the HUNDREDTH person said this to me this morning when I was out walking the dogs, but really! What do they expect me to say?? How would they suggest I walk my dogs without the children being present, and frankly as my dogs are so lovely and generally well-behaved (note I don't say perfect!) I'm often in a better position to cope than the owners with one naughty dog! Okay, rant over!

Little Diva has now been home a week and Lel commented earlier that she's sparkier and more confident every time she sees her. I'm really pleased with that, I had hoped she was but it's sometimes difficult to be objective when you're with them all the time. We really are working hard on socializing opportunities and varying the context in which she experiences different things. Earlier I had to bring my friend Lizzie's horses in and as I was driving to Cardiff afterwards, I had them all out to give them a chance to go to the toilet whilst I was walking the horses in. Diva's face was a picture as she realised the scale of the 'dog' her mum was putting a headcollar on, but she trotted close by on the way back with no worries. Amazing considering the incredible size difference - a very brave little lady indeed!

Another long day ahead of me tomorrow so will sign off now, but just wanted to let everyone know how Diva's getting on. Thanks to everyone who keeps asking after her, I'm very pleased with her and I definitely made the right choice bringing her home.

Today I'm grateful for my canine teachers past and present, for giving me the knowledge to bring up Diva to be a strong, confident little dog.

Progress report

Diva has been settling in nicely. Kai & Ella are suffering her at present, but I do see the occasional moment of warmth so the time will definitely come when it's all three of them against the world. Toilet training is getting there - had to remind myself to restrict access to help her avoid making mistakes, but I think she's getting the hang of going out in the garden. Just starting to use a word for her to associate the action with it now too - it's such a useful thing to have them go to the toilet on command.

Socialisation program is in progress and happy that we're heading in the right direction. She's been introduced to lots of different people, and has visited our parents homes as well as Mike's work. As well as car rides at the beginning of the week, we introduced the van and she's now travelling happily in there too. We've had a go with feeding a meal or two in a Puppy Kong, which was very funny to watch the first time - she didn't really understand what to do at all! She's quite noise sensitive which I'm familiar with because of the collies, so we're gradually desensitizing her by exposing her to various situations likes shops/ roads etc. We've also had a CD playing various sounds, gradually increasing the volume. She takes more notice of it than Kai & Ella so it's definitely a useful tool to have.

Diva's now used to her rather smart puppy collar, but I've decided I will teach her about the lead once I have a harness for her. I'm concerned if she were to panic and run then she might jolt her neck on a collar, and it's such a small neck! So that's the plan for tomorrow morning, to find a suitable small harness for her. Other than that we've been to our first puppy socialisation class with Leanne Barnes, had a vet check with Sue Yeo, and I'm pleased with her promise for playing tuggy with me - even in situations where there's a lot going on. She's also a big foody, and even if she's a bit worried about something then she'll usually take a tasty treat!

Training wise I introduced/ loaded the clicker with her breakfast meal this morning, and my plan is to see if I can avoid luring the usual behaviours such as sit/ down/ stand etc. We had a little training session earlier to do the 'Sit' and she was so delightful to work with - so eager and excitable. Learning is a lovely game as far as she's concerned, and I have every intention that it will always be so.

Today I'm grateful for my Dad who helped his daughter when she needed him - he's the best :-)

Introducing...

Meet Diva! She is a tricolour shetland sheepdog puppy, who will be 10 weeks this Wednesday. We collected her from her breeders in Llanelli around midday today, and despite the long drive home she was quite content in the car - no fear, no accidents. Very happy to be cuddled :-)

We waited until today to collect her as we were away over the weekend for Mike's 30th birthday, down in Cornwall. As well as relaxing, I confess quite a few dog training books/ manuals made it down in my bag! It's been a while since we've had a puppy in the house (Ella's going to be 4 in March) so I just wanted to refresh my memory a bit before Diva came home. From what I do recall, due to the fact that Ella joined us in the wake of Kai's devastating accident (which saw the removal of his front right leg) I didn't dare trust my instincts when it came to raising her in the early days. I read a lot before she came home then too, but I'm a different person to the one that brought that tiny collie pup home.

My knowledge of dog training is constantly expanding, and Diva will benefit from a host of new training ideas and principles that Toby & Lucy, my first dogs, were never introduced to. And you know what - Diva will miss out on stuff that I will learn in the future, just as they have done. Will that make them enjoy their training less, or be lesser dogs because of it? Not a chance. Something that I have inspired in all my dogs is their desire to work for and please me - even those pesky terriers that I started with almost 10 years ago. My methods for teaching are better than they were then, but it's no good knowing a library full of theory unless you're able to put it into practice. For that you need empathy and understanding, and a sincere resolution to give your all - just as you expect your dog to do. I think that's what I do rather well, and I thank all the dogs both past and present who have helped me to become the handler that I am today.

So baby Diva, I have a stack of training ideas and concepts that will be rolled out in your training in the weeks to come; but first and foremost I'll be going with my instincts as to what I believe is best for you. Building a relationship and a solid foundation of trust and understanding is my top priority. I'm already proud of you and how you've coped with a busy first day - looking forward to what's to come!

Today I'm grateful for my mother-in-law for having our beautiful children for us whilst we were away, and for the wonderful weekend Mike and I shared together :-)

New Judges at Severnside!

Am extremely proud to report that Brendan Sweeney, Sue James and myself are now fully qualified KC agility judges!! Thank you Dave for a very enjoyable and informative weekend, and our wonderful handlers & dogs who turned up on Sunday afternoon for us all to judge, despite the horrible weather conditions!

Today I'm grateful for the great family & friends I have who supported me in becoming an agility judge!

Judging seminar this weekend

It's going to be a very busy weekend! Mike turns 30 next Thursday, so as well as the judging seminar I'm co-organising with Martin Tait, I have a 30th birthday party to go to on Saturday night as well! Let's hope I'm in a fit state for the practical exam on Sunday afternoon :-)) Hope to post news on Monday that all 3 Severnside members that are attending (Brendan Sweeney, Sue James and myself) the course have passed. Fingers crossed!

Today I'm grateful for the support network I have around me, for my family and my agility plans.

Training this Saturday

Sue James is going to be manning the fort this Saturday, as I will be venturing down to the Dartmoor agility show in Okehampton. We are entered into 2 classes - Large Agility Graded 5, 6 and 7, and Large Jumping Graded 5, 6, and 7. This will be our first G5 classes as we haven't had another show since September and Ella's G4 win at Gillingham. I'm very happy with her since she's been back from her 3 weeks off, she's working really well and is possibly even faster than she was before! I was in two minds about entering this show, but I feel it will help prepare me for the sort of courses we'll be running next year so it's worth the trip. Just trying to ignore that fact that Hazel and Martin Tait will be picking me up at 6am on Saturday - we must be mad!

It's been a crazy week. My parents have been unwell and as my Dad is a fellow dog walker for people, I've been helping to cover his dogs as well as my own. We've been waiting an operation for Dad for sometime as he has a couple of things that need fixing, and it's had him quite run down. The nasty sickness bug that has been going around our families really knocked him for six this week, and he was taken into hospital yesterday to replace some of those lost fluids with a drip. He feels much better this morning and we're going into visit him a little later on today to find out what the plan is - he was supposed to be having his operation today, but of course that will now have to be delayed.

Today I am grateful for my Dad feeling better and for the good health of all the people and animals I love - it's something that is so easily taken for granted.

In pursuit of excellence..

This is going to be short - it's been a very long weekend! Just wanted to post how pleased I was with my clever, talented and beautiful collie dog tonight. Since having 3 weeks off agility, she has come back fitter and possibly even better than she was before. There is a little rust to be dusted off my handling skills, but tonight we had a final exercise which was the cherry on top of a very good session. The 'scoop' skill which I had found so difficult and frustrating just a few days earlier at Martin Tait's training venue in Hinton, I applied to the finish of an exercise that led into the weave poles. My timing was spot on and she turned from into me, over the jump and through the weaves. Needless to say I was delighted, but to top it off Martin clapped us - he actually clapped us as we had finished!! :-)

Tonight I'm glad that I had the courage to put into practice something that I had recently found difficult. We cannot achieve excellence if we don't push beyond our comfort zone, and our expectations should never limit us to an average performance. The sky is the limit, we can do anything if we only believe. And what a dog I have to believe in me :-)

Another week to go..

We went up to the SMART clinic again on Monday, and whilst Kai is dramatically better, Ella could really do with another week off. I have no desperate problem with that, only that I love training my special girl and I miss it! Made up for it a bit tonight by joining a KC Good Citizen class along with Lel & Hattie. I think they were both surprised when we led them into a room with no agility equipment, but more than happy to take the treats that were being freely handed out for what I'm sure they consider quite basic behaviours! I was especially pleased with Ella's loose lead walking - was starting to have a touch of the heelwork about it. I can always trust her to give her very best, and tonight was no exception.

What Lel and I found great about both girls, was their eagerness to offer behaviours in a bid to work out what was required of them. Hattie in particular has never done much in the way of obedience work, but was happy to try things out to see if it would earn her a reward. I think this is testimony to their great work ethics and a reminder of how important it is to lay a solid foundation right from the start of a relationship with a dog.

Today I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work my dog and for the aptitude she showed in every task I asked of her. I feel blessed to have owned and worked such fabulous dogs in my short time as a dog trainer.

Post-agility season blues

I am definitely having withdrawal symptoms now that weekends don't involve agility shows - I do worry about what this says about me as a person, but there it is! This is not helped by my lovely dog being off work for two weeks (hopefully only 3 more days to go - and counting!) which has meant I'm not getting to enjoy any agility training with my dog at all. This has led me to thinking about next years puppy plans, as it would definitely ease my blues if I had another dog to train right now.

I have a number of different ideas about what next year might hold for me on the dog front, and I'm both excited and daunted by the options available to me. But what I do know is that even without a new puppy, next year is going to be a challenging and enjoyable one because of the amazing dog I already run in agility. Ella requires me to be precise, well-informed, quick thinking and positive - to name just a few qualities she demands! I sometimes find it hard to be the agility partner that she deserves, but what's lovely about her is that she forgives generously and is always ready to give me another chance. When I re-read what I've written, I realise that our dogs probably teach us more than just what it is to be a good agility partner.

Today I am grateful for the many special moments that shone on my little world throughout the day.

SMART Clinic visit

Today Kai, Ella, Hattie and I visited Lowri Davies at the SMART clinic in Cardiff. Hattie was only with us for the ride, but think she quite enjoyed herself - there was plenty of liver cake going around :-)

I have noticed that Kai is slowing down, and am grateful that friends were able to recommend the clinic which is for veterinary rehabilitation by referral from your own vet. I was distressed to learn how much pain my boy is in on a day to day basis, and that he seems to be lame in his back right leg. The slowing down is obviously a result of the ongoing discomfort he is in, and I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a few tears on hearing Lowri's assessment of him. It's a credit to him that he takes life in his stride and doesn't let this bother him as much as he could. What's comforting to me is that he enjoys attention from anyone, even vets! He happily let Lowri administer acupuncture, and although a little worried, did well in the water treadmill. We have some exercises to do before we see her next week and I hope that these will ease his discomfort and I may have many more years left to enjoy him in.

What was somewhat surprising from the visit, was how much Lowri felt Ella's old broken leg injury was affecting her current movement. Plus the lack of movement she has down her lower back - she works like a hinge at the moment, head and shoulder doing most of the work. I can't say Ella enjoyed the visit quite as much as Kai, as she's a bit of a baby really, but she let Lowri do some acupuncture on her, and did some walking on the water treadmill too. She's been given 2 weeks off work - which I hope doesn't put her off Lowri for life :-) - so my off-season with her is starting nice and gently! We're not sure how long it will take to re-train her to balance herself better, but as she's young and fit we hope it won't be too long. My only worry is that Lowri feels that by removing her pain, she's likely to move even faster than she does currently. Good Lord! :-))

I'm glad I was presented with the opportunity to better improve my dog's lives, and only wish that perhaps I could have had Lowri to consult with around Kai's accident. However we discussed this and both agreed - each of us can only do our best with the information we have available to us at that time. Life would be easy with the benefit of hindsight to make decisions, but as that isn't how it works it's futile to spend too long thinking about it. Instead we should move forward and appreciate that we are better informed than before and with more life experience than we did previously. Each of our dogs will teach us something, in Kai's case he has taught me many things and for that I truly rejoice for his place in my life.

Today I am grateful to my Dad for taking care of my darling children, and in doing so freeing me up to take better care of the other important beings in my life.

Photo from Severnside demo

Here's my darling little toddler Jamie, thumb in mouth, tired out from a lovely day demonstrating agility at the RSPCA's dog show in Ashton Court - the dogs were brilliant and are enjoying a well earned break in the waterhole. Thanks to Fiona Melford for the great shot! :-)

Devon Dogs & Honiton show

Some FAN-tastic news - Lel and Hattie won Gd. 1-3 Small Agility and came 2nd in Gd. 1-3 Small Jumping. What a way to turn G4 - congratulations to them both, what a brilliant team they both make! We're going back for more tomorrow, so will report more then...

Today I'm grateful for my best friend winning up to G4 with her lovely little dog, and the celebrations which are just about to start :-))

Off-Season Talk

PLANNING YOUR OFF-SEASON

Gemma Osmond

Friday 2nd October 2009
7.30pm for 8.00pm
Prince of Orange Pub,
17, High St, Yatton, Bristol, Avon BS49 4JD
£5 per person

The agility year works in a cycle of pre-season, competition season and off-season. Roughly speaking the off-season runs between October – December, and this is where the bulk of any re-training work should be done.

Working out where you need to begin can be overwhelming if you’ve been disappointed with your performance throughout the competition season. But a good place to start is by answering the following questions:

• Have you enjoyed competing with your dog this year?
• Were you successful and achieve what you wanted to this year?
• Did you start the year with a clear idea of what it is you wanted?
  

This talk is designed to get you thinking about the ‘why’ behind your answers to these questions. Once we can work out the ‘why’, we can better plan your goals and aspirations for the 2010 competition season, and what you need to use your off-season for.

The beauty of being in a club is people around you for support, through cheering at the good times to commiserating at the bad. My aim is that by sharing our hopes and disappointments, we can better support each other in planning and achieving our goals.

Things to bring:

• Pen and notebook
• Record of competition results this year if available

Bromsgrove show

A beautiful day weather wise, but lonely travelling up to Holt Heath near Worcester without my usual competition buddies Lel & Hattie. Think Ella felt it too, we were a little out of sorts all day. After last weekend's excitement today was always going to be about proofing our contacts, but it was still a little disappointing that she needs reminding. In our first class of the day she self-released the A-frame straight off, and then again after I'd put her back! She hadn't had breakfast at that point, that's my only excuse for her! The see-saw amd dog walk that followed were better, but still not perfect.

Our jumping course was nice, but have a niggling worry that she self-released fractionally early from her wait on the startline. I think I might just a bit paranoid at the moment! What I definitely wasn't paranoid about was watching her race off without completing the last two weave poles in a set of 12 - not impressed! However used it as a training opportunity and set her up for a tough entry. She failed to cut back in for the 2nd pole the first time, but got it the 2nd and completed the whole lot properly. By this point though we were a little out of sorts, and when she banged herself coming out of the tunnel I gave up. Not terribly proud of myself, but was frustrated as the jumping was our only real chance of an exciting placing.

The last course of the day was the Burns Adams Novice Derby, which was a power and speed type course. Firstly they had to complete the dog walk, a spread jump, long jump, A-frame and see-saw (un-timed) and then if un-faulted, continue over a jumping course. She stopped on her dog-walk, but crashed the spread that came after it. Training note there! Plus I think she knocked the last plank on the long jump, something I knew could do with a little work anyway. The a-frame she self-released on and was firmly replaced (getting frustrated by this point!!) but then did her see-saw properly. The lesson still needs reminding, but it isn't as far away as I am apt to worry.

Today I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with such an intelligent agility partner, who is constantly expanding my knowledge of dog training and pushing me to be the best that I can be.

Gillingham show

Great day at Gillingham show - have the rosy, sunkissed cheeks to prove it! 2 great E's early on where Ella gave me 2 perfect sets of 12 weave poles, and 3 classic Ella contacts - 2 handling mistakes on my part caused the E's. So very up for the G4 Agility class - happy to say was clear and fast. With a little panic over the fact that tickets had been mixed up and somehow Ella's ticket had been tarnished with an undeserved 'E', we re-ran for time and did it even better than before. Straight into the lead and there we stayed - 1st place in our first G4 show :-))



Today I am grateful for my extraordinary dog and our very special relationship. Now a G5 partnership!

Prestbury Park

What a lovely venue! It took around an hour and a quarter to get there, but was really lovely so will definitely want to enter next year. We worked a ring for Sue Yeo (Severnside's club chairwoman) with some great camaraderie, leg pulling and general merriment - lots of fun! One of the great things about the show was the fact that there were 4 runs per dog each day. Saturday started with the Team Dash event - 5 for a missed weave entry (handling error on my part), and 5 for a knocked pole - must keep mouth shut whilst Ella is jumping! Agility was next, 3 lovely held contacts, 12 weaves - trouble was in trying to straighten her up for the dog walk I sent her into the tunnel. A shame; as E's go it was a good 'un! Some great work in the collie jumping, just couldn't keep it up towards the end and made another E. Jumping at the end of the day was a good course (Sue Yeo's!) but messed up weaves part way through. Later investigation showed that during the day dogs had dug up the ground around the weaves and they weren't very straight at all. Not a great design of weaves really, Adams Agility don't normally have that issue. Last but not least, my gorgeous Kai-kai gave me a clear in the Any Size - broke his wait on the startline, but responded so well around the rest of the course I didn't have the heart to chastise him much. Never mind, some good things to go forward into Sunday with.

Only managed 3 of my 4 runs today - no exciting news either I'm afraid! Knocked bar in the Agility for 5 faults, but 3 perfect contacts and clean 6 weaves. Pairs jumping, perfect 12 weaves but so excited about that I didn't control her into the jumps that followed - durhh! Nice round otherwise though. Lastly, missed walking the 3-5 Agility so watched a few dogs go round before we had to leave and joined the queue. Didn't handle it as well as I would have liked, but did okay - until the last jump when I relaxed too early and pulled her off the final jump. Oooh could have kicked myself! Not desperately unhappy though - another perfect 12 weave poles. 100% record today - my clever girlie! :-))

Next weekend is Ella's first Grade 4 classes, which should be exciting. My plan this week is to be well rested going into the weekend, as I've been more tired than usual this weekend and I think it's shown in my handling. This years show campaign is nearly at a close so I just need to find some reserves to get me through these last few shows, and then I can rest up and take a little time off.

Today I am enormously grateful for the privilege of competing with two of the best dogs in the world, and doing so alongside such great friends and their precious dogs.

UKA Staverton & Dog Vegas

What a long weekend! Thank goodness it's a Bank Holiday otherwise I don't know how we'd have done it, we didn't get home until midnight last night after being stuck in traffic on the motorway back from Scunthorpe. However I'm still glad we went all that way, there's something special about the first final with your dog, even when things don't go to plan!

Anyway, Staverton first on the Saturday - not a great day as I was very wound up about what was to come on the Sunday, and could have done much better than I did. A last minute 'E' in the Gamblers was disappointing, but it was miles better than the last one I tried to do so I'm definitely going to enter more of those - it was quite good fun. Jumping was next and just turned off a fraction too early and brought Ella inside a jump wing, so another 'E', but heartened by a lovely 12 weaves later in the course - can't now imagine what her coming out of the last 2 poles looks like which is fabulous! Picked myself up after that and gave myself bit of a shake - thanks to Sue James for listening to my woes and reminding me how much I love my sport and really how good Ella & I are at it. So went into our Steeplechase course properly and did a cracking clear - 1st place and 6 points off Senior, happy days! Agility was right at the end of the day, but worth waiting for as it was a nice course to run. Sadly missing lunch earlier in the day had left me a little light-headed and I gave Ella's weave command far, far too late - 5 for skipping the 2nd pole but beautiful for the rest of the 12 poles after that.

Dog Vegas started well - I had strict instructions from Martin Tait about holding contacts as now Ella's won out of Grade 3 there's no need to push them. Lovely clear with 6 weaves out of a tunnel and no worries on her entry, plus me crossing behind which was great. The lovely blue & silver 8th place rosette was nice too :-)) In the next agility round Ella was high as a kite (I later found she needed to go to the toilet - good reminder before Final!) and I thought I would test her dog walk contact by quick releasing on the A-frame that came before. As expected she released herself so I was able to correct her, and she then was more careful to remember her criteria on the see-saw, and finished the round with a fast entry into 6 weaves. G3-5 Jumping was next and what I would describe as our first 'grown up' course, although nothing that Martin wouldn't set me as a quick warm up! Clear till the weaves where I think I ended up in her way and 5 for skipping the 2nd pole. She went back in beautifully to complete the 12 poles, so I was very pleased.

The Final course was a nice course which I felt would really suit Ella, and I'm really pleased with how I stayed calm & focused leading up to the start of it. I walked it straight after the judge had finished setting it and decided what I would need to do. I planned to be brave and let her pick up the see-saw out of the tunnel by herself and layer the jump off of it for a front cross. When I walked it the tunnel should have shot them out straight so that picking it up would have been no problem - sadly after I'd walked it the angle was changed slightly, so I ended up with a very eager Ella running directly to me instead!



Looking back (and esp. from this camera angle) I'm not sure if:

a) My original handling decision would have been correct
b) Did I tell her her command for see-saw early enough (or at all!)?
c) As I wasn't moving as she entered the tunnel would she have still come out looking for me anyway?
d) Would it have worked but I wasn't on the correct line I needed to be on?

Whilst I'm disappointed, I'm not going to jump off a bridge anytime soon - mistakes are opportunities to learn, and this isn't Ella's last final. Does my dog know or care frankly (!) that we didn't win? She had her enthusiastic game of tuggy at the end of her job as she always does, and she did everything I asked of her so she had no complaints from me about anything she did. I learnt that I can cope with the pressure of a final and still run my dog as I should, and that I'm brave about the handling choices I make - albeit it for the worse in this instance! Next time I think I'll probably opt for the safe option rather than the spectacular, unless I have a 2nd opinion on it from Martin Tait first! :-))

Today I'm grateful for having a wonderful dog to compete with, a great big snuggly one to welcome me when I return to the van, my dog agility van itself, Jan Sage & Lexi winning G1 Agility whilst we were up at Dog Vegas and going G2!, my parents for looking after my darling children whilst we were away, and last but by no means least, my loving, supportive husband for going all that way with me - and for always being right by my side whenever I need him.

KC International Festival

Friday
Quite the biggest show I have ever been to - agility rings as far as the eye could see! We arrived at the show on Friday morning with only 15 minutes to walk our courses, and both Lel and I were quite overwhelmed by the magnitude of the place. I managed to walk two of the three courses I had to run for the day (the Novice Cup ones which I wanted to focus on), and then I really started to work myself up into a bit of a tiz! The courses themselves were great - just the sort of thing Ella and I could get our teeth into. Unfortunately each class had 12 weave poles - something which I admit I was a bit nervous about. I was right to be a bit worried - she hit her entries fast but clear; in one class she managed to stay in despite knocking herself in the face with the 2nd pole bless her! But in each class she came out two poles from the end, excitement proving too much for my clever girl. I had feared my proofing of 12 weave poles wasn't complete - she showed me that I need to invest a bit more time to make them foolproof. That was disappointing, but worse was how badly I handled the rest of two of the courses - nerves just throwing me out. I redeemed myself in my final class of the day - the Novice Cup Agility, where despite her coming out at the last pole and needing to re-do them, I worked the rest of the course much better and didn't get her E'd. Small relief, but I'm lucky to have a forgiving dog who's always up for trying again, so no permanent damage.

Saturday
Saturday morning came and we set off with much more time to spare and as a result it was a much calmer atmosphere in the Osmond camp! Also I had made the decision not to run classes where there were 12 weave poles as I don't want any more failures until I'm in a position to reward/ correct as appropriate - the competition ring just isn't the place for that. So I was really pleased that 2 out of my 3 classes for the day had 6 weave poles. What I'm about to write next fills me with pride and pleasure - in Ella's Grade 3 Agility class of 234 dogs, she went clear and straight into the lead with a whole second to spare - despite me almost messing up the end by trying to put in a pull through where there wasn't one! Bursting with excitement and feeling a bit sick frankly, we went over to do our Grade 3 Jumping class. I hadn't managed to walk it and had Lel (who had run it earlier with Hattie) talking me through the course with only 1 dog in front of me in the queue! Deep breath then and fingers crossed - straight round with winged heels, clean set of weaves at such speed (!) - into the lead there too!!

Our final placings were:
Grade 3 Agility Large Part 2, judged by Linda Hutchinson (234 dogs) - 1st!
Grade 3 Jumping Large Part 1, judged by Cathy Keith (238 dogs) - 2nd!

Sunday
Sticking with my decision not to put her at a set of 12 poles, I only had a jumping class to run before we left at 11am this morning (getting back for babies). Another stunning round, marred only by her slipping in the weave poles and not being able to bend back in correctly after her entry. Lel commented that the judge seemed to be shaking his head in disappointment at her mistake, as that was her only mistake of the run - it was another first class performance from my first class dog.

Today I am grateful to my agility friends for their unwavering belief in my abilities as a handler, my family for their constant support of my agility dreams, and for my wonderful, fabulous, talented Ella. We're now a Grade 4 partnership! :-))

Leading up to our 1st KC Festival..

Lovely weekend off with our little family which was just what I needed before the approaching festival. Ella's wins ought to have given me a lot of confidence going into the weekend, but I have to say I'm perhaps more nervous than ever! I know my gorgeous little girl can do it now, I have complete faith in every obstacle I send her at - including those weave poles! Just wish I could say the same about me! Life as a mum to two little boys is exhausting some days, and summoning up enough energy to be a worthy agility partner to Ella is hard going. Especially when she's clearly raring to go - it makes me very jealous :-)) Still, Martin Tait is over for our Daybreak competition group this evening so I anticipate a good session to buoy me up before Friday.

Now we've won into Grade 3 we're no longer eligible for the Starters Cup at the festival, so instead are in the Novice which is grades 3-5. What I need to remember is that this is effectively Ella & I's first year of competition and we have nothing to prove to anyone - we can come back next year with winning aims. This year is about getting back into the swing of competition and we're already being quite successful. This festival is about continuing the great work we've been doing in the ring, and investing in our relationship. Any wins will be a bonus, but they're not what we step into the ring for.

Today I'm grateful for my fantastic agility partner Ella, who's right beside me as I follow my agility dreams :-)

Blackdown Open show

Great day! Not only did Ella nail two sets of 6 poles, she also won Large Jumping G1-2 and Large Jumping Combined 1-3. Ridiculously large grin plastered all over my face - I have such a great dog :-))

UKA Nationals week

Not much to report as I only went up on Thursday for the day and did the majority of the runs as NFC (not for competition). The reason for this was to proof Ella's weaves in the ring - I'm delighted to say she had 2 successes straight off, and was most surprised to find her toy in front of her as her reward :-) What I did find though was repeating them made her a bit cross! I realised afterwards that I only repeat the weaves in competition when she's gone wrong. Something to bear in mind in the future - in our 2nd round I should have just done a couple and then carried on. As a result of carrying on we had a few failures, which were down to her getting frustrated. Still, not a major concern and she managed 3rd in the Novice steeplechase later on. She wasn't really going for it which I think may have been to do with wanting to get it right as she felt like she'd been wrong earlier. She's such a teacher's pet :-))

Tonight I'm grateful for my parents for having the boys overnight last night which allowed Mike & I to go out to the cinema and have a lazy lie in this morning. Bliss :-))

Weave re-training progress report

Now I've been a bit slack in getting the clips onto the computer to share, with the result that I'm not sure of the order we did them in any more! However they have been useful to me as I've been looking at them back and working out our success percentage after each session. Just quietly, I'm very, very pleased with how it's going. Last night at Severnside club training I upped the ante again and put out two sets of six poles. Accurate and fast, just how I want her - so excited! The only distraction that I've been able to find to pull her out of the poles is throwing her toy early, but even then after a couple of tries she realised she had to stay in until she'd finished to earn her reward. I can swing her toy around in circles & squeak a squeaky toy right by her, but she just ignores me until she's done. Seriously impressed.

We're not at 100% yet though, the really tough entries (between 10-12 & 2-12) are still catching her out, but I'm using the first set of 2x2 poles to help her. By angling them just slightly to make the entry more inviting it really helped her to get the idea. Now I just need to work on me and we're ready for competition! I say work on me, because I'm still quite nervous about her actually doing it in the ring. Watching videos back from last weekend, I realise that I turn into a frightened rabbit when we reach the weaves in a course - not at all like the loud and enthusiastic training partner she's had to put up with all week! So the goal this weekend is to treat the weaves in the course just like I would at training. Nice early command, driving towards them, and cheering when she's doing them. We may make mistakes, but without making any mistakes it's difficult for her to distinguish exactly what is correct. And I know longer think to myself, 'we'll get there' as was a favourite saying of everyone's to me. I now believe that we're there :-)

Caerphilly show

Just a quickie - must have tea and then probably up to bed, it's been a long day. But must post some great news - Ella & I won the First Contact Starters Qualifier, which means we're now Grade 3!

I have two of the best dogs and I'm so grateful to my friends Sue, Lel & Martin for supporting me this week with my weave re-training. It's not complete (we still made 2 mistakes in sets of weaves today) as I knew it wasn't when I left today, but we've come a long way in a week. Who knows what next weekend could bring??

Further 2x2 progress reports

At our 6th session on the 2x2's we were training at Martin Tait's venue, and I forgot to bring my video camera away with us! So I was back to record keeping as we went along rather than the luxury of watching the footage back and recording from that.

It's going really, really well and I'm so pleased with our progress. Ella's attitude to the weaves seems to be changing before our very eyes - she's more thoughtful and seems to have a much better understanding of what I want from her in the weaves. We've now taken our weaving show on the road and been to both Martin Tait's outdoor venue and Severnside's indoor venue at Urchinwood Manor. I didn't anticipate any problems at Martin's, but did wonder if the indoor venue might over excite her and cause her to make silly mistakes. So it was great to see that she was still very focused and driven to succeed - just what I'm after!

Our next session will be the 11th time we've worked on the 2x2's and I'm going to move to 6 poles. I intend to really work the arc and rotate the poles slightly if necessary to help her achieve the entries. Later on today I hope we'll get to do a 12th session, and I'm aiming to stick with 6 poles but crank up the distraction of what I'm doing - running, taking off on a tangent, stopping suddenly, playing with a toy - anything to try and get mistakes that we can work through.

Today I'm so grateful for my wonderful dog who is teaching me so much about dog training this week, her great attitude to working with me, and her willingness to try new things. In truth I don't think it's just dog training I'm learning about this week :-)

2x2 Progress

Re-training weaves - day 2's sessions

Re-training Ella's weaves

Too many shows have gone by now where we've had weave problems, and I'm just not prepared to carry on as we are. To give you a percentage, from the shows we've entered this year we only have a 40% success rate for the weaves - that's showing me that we need to re-think. So this week Ella and I are on a re-training journey, using Susan Garrett's 2x2 method. I'll aim to update our blog each day with our progress.

Tuffley Show

Now before I read Susan Garrett's most recent dog training blog entry, I probably would have said Tuffley wasn't very positive as shows go. After all, Ella and I only managed 1 clear round the whole weekend and it wasn't placed as I'd taken my time setting her up for a correct weave approach. But Susan reminded me what I love about my training and most importantly, what I love most about my dog.

So here's the review of our Tuffley weekend. She gave me some great rounds - fast, accurate contacts, great responses to directions, and lots of speed and enthusiasm for her job. A pleasure to watch, never mind run! She also gave me some valuable information about her understanding of her weave poles, and has cemented the belief that I need to re-train in order to get the performance that I'm after. Being disappointed in her is not an option, I'm a better dog trainer than that and we will succeed!

With the exception of this evening I haven't done any training with her all week and we have this weekend off as it's our children's Naming Ceremony on Sunday. So I've focused on making the ceremony perfect for them and let Ella and I relax this week. Next Monday we will begin re-training the weaves with the 2x2's with the help of our friends Lel & possibly Martin & Hazel Tait. Any failures we have next week will be positive ones because they will help define the correct response that I want from her in her weave poles.

So today I'm grateful for my beautiful baby boys, my wonderful husband, family & friends, and my two fantastic dogs. Looking forward to Sunday and sharing our joy over our children with all our family & friends too!

Teamwork

Some thoughts pre-Tuffley show

Have trained my girlie twice this week, and have crystalised some of the thoughts I have about our weaving problem. Basically we're looking at a lack of self-control which stems from the great job I did teaching her that weaves are fun. So here's the deal; I created this problem so I can solve it by injecting some control in front of the weaves. More specifically, I will get her to 'Down' before the weaves and won't let her complete them unless she has complied. Ella has such fantastic self-control in her startlines and contacts, that I must take heart - this problem isn't an eternal thing. She has the brains and the ability to get this right, she might just need a bit of short-term help.

Most importantly, when I set out tomorrow with her I will be setting out with one of the most amazing dogs God ever put breath into. My good thing of this agility weekend will be, as it always is, her.

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be your faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

Lansdown Action

Thanks to Martin Tait for capturing some of Ella's runs for me:

Another Lansdown done and dusted

Exhausted! But very pleased by how well another Lansdown show went, it's a real credit to both Severnside & Clifton agility clubs. Had a good day yesterday with a positive G1-2 Agility run (weave issue still there sadly!), and a fabulous (even if I do say so myself!) clear run in the Pedigree team event. Oooh she's good :-) Plus we were shades off winning the G1-2 Jumping at the end of the day, but my dozy dog ran over the last but one jump to the start line to find her toy for a job almost well done! Still, was very proud that Mark Douglas who was judging sought me out afterwards to tell me what a cracking round it was. She is a good girl, if a little dozy at times :-))

Today didn't quite pick off where we left off yesterday evening. Martin watched our rounds and felt she 'bullied' me into letting her do the weaves, so she wasn't controlled enough as she entered them and therefore made mistakes. I'm trying to take comfort from the fact that she now seems to be getting her entries okay, it's just bending back to complete them properly that's the problem now. Back to the drawing board!

However disappointed I might be not to have won a rosette this weekend though, I'm delighted at how many Severnside club members picked up. Notably one of the small Pedigree teams - 4 clear rounds earnt them first place and a place at Crufts 2010!! So we had a lovely pizza party with champagne on Saturday night to celebrate - it felt like a great achievement for the club, even those who aren't exactly small dog happy :-)) Then today, Caroline and Milo only went and won G2 Agility - she was shaking with excitement telling everyone, it was so lovely to see! Also Jan & Ruby went and won the G1 Jumping as well as being placed elsewhere too, Rhi & Jess placed, Rhi & Abbey placed, Helen & Eko won G3 Agility - I'm sure there were others but I'm so tired I can't remember properly!

So today I'm grateful for a lovely sunny weekend for our club show, the good fortune that shone on my friends, and my fantastic fabulous family for supporting me in what I love to do best. Great weekend all round really - roll on next year!!

Golden Valley DTC Show

As I write this we're nearer Lansdown agility weekend than Golden Valley now, and I can't honestly tell you where the week has gone! We camped at Worcester last weekend along with Helen & Hattie next door for the first time. They enjoyed their weekend away and took away several placings - ladies I apologise profusely for not remembering exactly what! This is why I should write things down :-)

I do remember my own, if only because I have the rosettes on the dresser to remind me! Sue James & I ran in the pairs on the Saturday and came 2nd which was very exciting, and quite unexpected really. Ella's weaves were a bit dubious last weekend and there were 6 poles in the pairs class. But we did them, which I have to admit did cheer me up - well done Sue for not letting me back out of running her. Sunday was more positive again - 4 clears in the Team Dash for Severnside Red (or Green, memory failure again!) led to a 4th place, and just outside qualification for the final. Ella & I ran last and I didn't watch the others run, just focused on us. I'm glad I didn't realise everyone else had gone clear, I don't think it would have been good for my nerves :0)) Finally, Ella & I came 3rd in the Collie Sprint class (jumps & tunnels - no weaves - bliss!), with plenty of room for improvement on our time. It's nice to know she's competitive time-wise despite her handler ;0)

Ooh and that wasn't quite all - Hazel Tait let me run her Molly in the G6-7 Agility. Brain went a bit mushy as it was this run and then home, but I drove at the equipment and don't think I did too badly. Martin Tait may disagree though :-)

Anyway, have lots of agility thoughts that I'd like to write about, but have training this evening in Hinton so must go and have tea otherwise I'll be starving and won't be able to concentrate.

Thames DTS Agility show

Another great day, although no trophies to show for it I'm afraid. Not that you'd know that from the great big grin plastered all over my face - Ella hit the entries for 3 sets of poles, only coming out of one set at the end which had a tunnel beckoning at the end of them. So very happy as the handling errors I made were small (unlike the runs from last weekend, I won't elaborate further :-)) so I'm upbeat about this season. I have such a great dog!

Anyway think I should probably be headed on up to bed. I'm pleased to report that Callum has managed to wait until 7.00am or after for his bottle these last few nights, but I wouldn't like to say that it's a permanent arrangement just yet - or at least not without touching wood :0)

Plus I spent a very uncomfortable night on Friday with a terrible headache, which was still hanging around on Saturday morning. My back was all kinds of stiff, so after a visit to the osteopath it was decided that I might want to be a bit kinder to my body. After all, it has provided me with the most beautiful little boys not so long ago! So this week my aim is to practise my stretches and when I need to lift anything, to do it carefully. Fingers crossed!

Today I'm glad that Callum was better from his heat rash of yesterday, that I got to spend an hour with Jamie before he went off to bed after getting back from the show, and for Mike who refused to let me stay at home as I had considered with Callum being poorly and my bad night on Friday. He knows what I need more than I do some days, I'm a very lucky girl indeed :-)

Group session at Dervish

Just back from fantastic training session with Ella. Joined Martin Tait's 8.30pm class at his indoor venue in Hinton and was very nervous to be rubbing shoulders with handlers from grades far above me! Apparently it was just what the doctor ordered - I'm proud to say I rose to the challenge and of course my wonderful dog didn't let me down. Especially pleased at how good her 'Wait' was tonight, easily one of the best in the class :-)

What was particularly lovely was tonight I was 'me' rather than Jamie & Callum's mummy. Now don't get me wrong - I adore being their mummy and they are the most gorgeous little boys. It's just I had forgotten how much fun I could have all by myself - it was great to rediscover parts of my personality which had lain dormant for the last couple of years!

Today I'm grateful for my husband for encouraging me to go out to training, Martin for being such a good friend & instructor, and those clever, clever dogs of mine. They've given my dreams wings and freedom to fly as high as I dare :-)

Wye Valley

Just back from the most stunning weekend at Wye Valley's show - it's just the most beautiful venue! We've been blessed with sunshine, and after burning at last week's UKA show I'm pleased and proud to say I remembered the suntan lotion and I'm not my normal shade of red after a weekend in the sunshine!

No exciting winning news I'm afraid - Saturday felt a little like a warm up and Ella grew faster with each round. This morning she was a little on the bonkers side and as well as our usual niggles with the weaves, was self-releasing on contacts - almost unheard of!! Silly girl didn't want tea on Saturday night or breakfast Sunday morning, so I think she was running on nerves. I have some tricks up my sleeve to persuade her to eat for the next one - some wet food mixed into her normal ration will probably do the trick. The plus side of her lack of reserve was her speed which although bordering on out of control (!) showed me just what the rest of the season might hold. Fingers crossed anyway!

So just two clear rounds in the jumping today, and slow because of me making her 'Down' in front of the weaves. Working on a training plan which I can fit in around the boys, but should be able to come up with something.

Today I'm grateful for my wonderful if slightly mad (!) agility partner Ella, my fellow Severnside club mates for a fun alfresco dinner on Saturday night together, and my family for coming away to support me in my agility dreams.

UKA Phoenix, Langford

What a lovely day we all had at UKA Phoenix today! The weather was impressively hot - so much so that I have the burnt arms to prove it :-( Never mind, Ella's impressive and 1st placed steeplechase round will comfort me I expect :-) She's really flying and I'm loving every moment. Today I walked courses with belief in myself and my dog and she fully deserved her red ribbon. The weaves let us down in the jumping - me pulling off too soon, must work on it! Then the last class of agility she stopped beautifully on the a-frame & dog walk, but couldn't quite hold herself onto the see-saw - she did try very hard bless her! But of course I had to pop her back onto the end to maintain the criteria I've set her, and after that we left the ring at the judges request.

Several people raised their eyebrows at me blowing the round like that, but I definitely did the right thing. Yes she only missed it by a whisker, and yes she had tried very hard to stop. But she hadn't and if I hadn't corrected it I would have been making a grey area for her, and she trusts me to let her know if she's done a good job or not. I liken it to Martin Tait - he wouldn't tell me I'd handled well just because I'd tried very hard. So when he does offer praise I know I've jolly well earnt it! Correcting me doesn't make me flat or disheartened (well not always!), it makes me try harder because Martin believes in my ability to do better. So I may have missed out on a placing, but my dog is still crystal clear about what I expect from her and she believes in me - just like I do her.

Too often in dog training people want shortcuts and quick fixes. In the short term they might get you where you want to be - in competition for example, but what of the long term damage to your training? Broken startlines in competition begin because handlers accept less than they demand in training. Missed contacts in competition begin because handlers don't correct their dogs for even the slightest deviation from their desired behaviour. Running under single pole competition jumps begin because handlers didn't train with the jumps their dogs would face at a show. That's all well and good if handlers take responsibility for their dogs less than perfect competition performances, but we've all seen dogs berated for 'messing about' and 'playing silly buggers'. And those are the nicer comments!

So I hope that if there's just one thing I can impress upon handlers that train with Sue and I at Daybreak - take responsibility for your own training. Be clear in your own mind about what it is you are training for and do your dog the courtesy of sticking to it so as not to confuse them. Once you know you've proofed your kit then the next thing you have to accept is that if poles come down or your dog takes the wrong course - your handling is responsible. Your dog didn't walk the course - you did. There are lots of different handling systems out there and I'm pretty confident they'll all work if applied correctly. If you mess up, don't beat your dog or yourself up - there'll be other days. Most importantly praise that dog of yours for stepping out with you and giving you the best performance it could with the training you've given it. If there's something a bit lacking, perhaps motivation for the job - come up with a training plan to address it. Remember "nobody fails, they just give up too early" :-)

Today I'm grateful for my 4 great agility partners - Lucy (clear round), Toby (committed but let down by me), Kai (delighted to work for me) & Ella, my wonderful husband who stayed at home with our children so I could have a day off, and the lovely smiles I received from those darling babies when I got home. Not to mention the great friends who I spent the day with, and their wonderful dogs. What a great day!

Testing!

Great progress

I was delighted to learn today that Melinda & Spike won out of Grade 2 by winning the Agility at Blackdown this weekend just gone. She's worried they won't be competitive at Grade 3, but I don't think she needs to be - we just need to find the motivation button on him so that he always works at top speed for her. Plus, Brendan & Bunny getting placed 3rd in the Grade 5 Agility & Jumping at the same show - they're so close to winning I've decided to put a bottle of champagne in the fridge in preparation :-))

The competition class at Daybreak is working really well for everyone and I'm so pleased with the way peoples handling is improving. Martin Tait's joining us again this Sunday and then again next Tuesday for our usual session - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everyone shows him how well they've been progressing!

Great day!

This is going to be short - it's been a really long day! Severnside held yet another successful Spring show within the North Somerset show in Wraxall today. Lots of members were placed and their names announced over the tannoy, notably Lel & Hattie - winning Grade 2 Agility in their first Grade 2 class! Well done them, it's a great partnership and it's no surprise that they've done so well already this season. Plus some great work from Sara & Blaze, who went clear in Grade 1 jumping and was only just out of the placings. Definitely a dog to watch in the future.

What is a very pleasant surprise to me is that I'm able to post the news that Ella & I won Grade 1 Agility today, which means we are now a Grade 2 partnership after only our first Kennel Club show of the year! I'm thrilled, not least because all I really wanted or expected out of today was to nail those dratted weaves. She did just that, in the 3 classes with the dreaded obstacle - and I'm sure could have given me another 1st place in the jumping had I not turned too quickly and made her clip a pole down. I would have been satisfied with that, but am delighted with what I got.

Today I am grateful for Ella's win, the support of my husband and mum, my beautiful children and some great friends.

Great evenings training!

Well I said I'd probably post something after tonight's session, and sure enough here I go! We had great weather, a great group of dogs and handlers, and an even greater trainer - Martin Tait really had us thinking and everyone had a really enjoyable time. Lots to work on of course, even from those who appeared to have done it right - there's always room for improvement, always milliseconds to be shaved off our times. The dogs must love Martin coming along and sorting us out, they of course just follow our directions and I'm sure quite often wish it were them directing us! :-)

Ella & I had a good session and I'm pleased with what we achieved. My timing isn't as off as I had feared it might be, and although we had some broken waits and a self-released a-frame contact, these were corrected and weren't too much to worry about. Group sessions are fantastic for us because she's so hyped up watching the other dogs, it's closer to a show situation than we get during our 1-2-1 sessions. That said I'm looking forward to my 1-2-1 with Martin in a couple of weeks time. It'll be nice to really work through some of our issues and feel like we're getting back on track.

Website updates

Despite a very long weekend, I felt the urge to update the Daybreak websites (dog training & pet care - http://www.daybreakpets.co.uk/) to include baby Callum & whilst I was at it, the rabbits too. This was prompted by the capture of some beautiful pictures of the boys which I wanted to share - my favourite is this one I think:

Now I know I'm their mother, but aren't they just scrummy! Not to mention good little people - we went caravan hunting at the end of the day yesterday, and despite obviously being tired were ever so good. I think Jamie is quite looking forward to caravanning at the shows, if we can ever find a suitable caravan that is!

With the shows in mind I'm really looking forward to a training session with Martin Tait on Tuesday evening for my competition class at Daybreak. If I could explain to Ella I know she'd be equally excited, so perhaps it's better that I can't - two of us excited probably wouldn't be a good thing! Plus, along with my friend Caroline & her dog Jake, we might be paying a visit to Tace Allen for the dogs to have a once over. I don't have any specific concerns, but would like to make sure Ella's in tip top condition to start the season. We ask a lot of our agility dogs and I think it's only fair we repay them by making sure they're fit for the job we ask of them.

So expect an update after Tuesday I guess - can't wait!

UK Agility Beckford

Well some success at the UK Agility Easter show yesterday, 2nd in the Beginners Standard Steeplechase, and although unplaced because of faults in the rest of her rounds she worked really well. The bloomin' weaves are letting us down and I'm seriously considering petitioning the Kennel Club & UK Agility to ban them! A photographer caught her in the weaves, although sadly as you'll see if you look at where she is, it's as she's making a mistake through them - durrhh!

Still I'm not too disheartened. Callum was only 7 weeks old yesterday and for our only problem to be the weave poles after such a layoff, I haven't much to complain about. And it was such fun to be back at shows and bumping into people I haven't seen for ages! Not to mention being able to run around with her, rather than what seemed like a very long way behind her!

Plus Hattie & Helen Sharp won another 1st place rosette in their Novice Toy Jumping class, so they're really going to have to start thinking about an extension for all Hattie's winnings :-))

Out of little acorns..

Some lovely things of this past week or so:

1. Baby Callum giving me and my mum his first smiles - aaah!! :-))


2. Having a lovely evening out with my husband Mike on Saturday for his hockey club's annual dinner
3. Lel & Hattie winning Grade 1 agility on Saturday - go girls!
4. Ella & I winning the agility round in Sundays league match, and nailing two sets of 12 weave poles during the evening - perhaps winning Grade 1 isn't as far off as I worry it might be?!
5. Lel & Hattie coming 3rd in the agility during the same league match
6. New starters group at Severnside really inspiring me, and enjoying being back teaching agility

Summer's round the corner!

The clocks do their thing tomorrow, and even lighter evenings are just around the corner! It's such a positive time of the year and I'm very excited about going into this summer with my wonderful husband, two wonderful sons and two very special dogs. Last Sunday Ella and I did a league match for Severnside (Callum was only 4 weeks old on the Friday) not really expecting much as we've had such a lot of time off. She was her usual confident self, and provided me with two great rounds, weaves withstanding :-) Safe to say she hasn't forgotten it all, and the season is looking promising.

I went into the match with a different attitude than I have done in the past. I wasn't interested in winning (although I can't say it wouldn't have been nice!), I was just interested in having fun with my wonderful dog. In the past few weeks 3 close agility friends have lost their dogs to old age, dogs who shaped their lives and inspire them still. With that at the forefront of my mind, not to mention my own experience with Kai, I ran my girl with a glad heart and winged heels. We had such fun and I intend that each run this year should encompass those happy feelings.

Baby Callum

Well it's been an exciting week! Baby Callum was born on Friday 20th February, just over 3 weeks earlier than we were expecting him. Despite being what the doctors class as premature at just under 37 weeks, he weighed in at 6lb & 10.5oz and at his 5 day weight check today hasn't lost more than 10% of his body weight which is considered to be a good thing. As you can imagine we're quite tired out here, but just wanted to post quickly to let people know what's happening in the Osmond household.

Susan Garrett

Two of my Christmas presents to myself were DVD's of Susan's - one on her 2x2 weave method, and the other on her crate games. I love watching her teach and hope to get on one of her workshops the next time she's over here in the UK.

Both DVD's have inspired me so much that I've ordered yet another set of weaves - this time custom made to Susan's specification on the 2x2's. They should arrive early next week - very excited! The crate games DVD was obviously easier to get on with as both dogs are happy in their crates and I have two in and around the house. However - who knew it could hurt a pregnant woman's back as much as it did!! Bending up and down to reward really took it out of me. Much as Ella was razor sharp in picking up the game (teacher's pet!), I think I'm going to have to postpone those games until my back's in better shape. Bit of a pain, but better to be able to walk afterwards than not!

At least the 2x2's should be a different matter. I can at least be upright, and I don't think throwing her toy should be a problem. Tugging with her might of course, but hopefully she'll be satisfied with shorter bursts. Plus of course the DVD only advocates a few minutes at a time. Just right for a heavily pregnant person!

Took a look at some show schedules for April onwards. Still don't know what's going to happen re. induction or not, so haven't entered anything yet. Should perhaps know in a couple of weeks and that should still be plenty of time to enter. It's got both Mike & I thinking about caravaning with 2 babies and how that might work. Scary stuff!