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.