Wallingford, 16th/17th April 2011

First show of the season! Was very excited to be packing up the caravan on Friday ready to leave, full of hopes for what the weekend might bring despite a rather disastrous training session on the Thursday evening. I was rather hoping that poor rehearsal, good show might hold true in this instance!

Luckily for the most part this seemed to be the case. One of my more annoying faults as a handler, is remembering a full course, something that I'm sure has a lot to do with my nerves. Whilst I know just what a great dog I am lucky enough to run, knowing that brings its own pressure as I don't want to get it wrong for her. I'm pleased to say that for the most part I didn't let Ella down, and although some of the runs were a bit shaky in parts, we did some good work. Watching back the video I am delighted with how fast she is covering the ground and the speed with which she achieves her contacts and weaves.

Overall it was a good weekend of agility, but of course it's not the only reason people get so addicted to our sport. As you'll see the video clips include several runs from friends; it's also about the friendships that get forged whilst we're all enjoying training and competing with our dogs. Running your dog with a hangover from the night before is quite a normal occurrence! ;o)

I'm also pleased to report that Kai & Diva ran in the Anysize class on Sunday - Kai running a lovely clear, and Diva showing some great potential for the future. Both were rewarded for their efforts with a yummy tripe stick - think Diva could get quite excited about this agility game ;o)

Today I'm grateful for family & friends :o)

Moving day

This year has been one of great change, so it hardly came as a surprise when we were told that the barn adjacent to our training field is finally ready for conversion. I would like to thank everyone who offered suggestions and leads for a new field, it was touching to have such support on hand. As a result is wasn't very long at all before we found ourselves being shown around Pool Farm in Kingston Seymour. We now have a great new field, enclosed on all sides, larger than previously, and with hard standing for car parking right alongside the field. Thanks must go to Sara Bingham for sourcing the field thanks to her friendship with Margaret Bush our new landlady. We're delighted with our new venue and can't wait to start teaching! :)

Today I'm grateful for the many willing helpers who were there to support Sue & I as we made the rather emotional move from our old venue to the new.

Preparing to say goodbye..

It's going to be a long day tomorrow as we say goodbye to the majority of Ella & Tigger's puppies who are being collected by their new owners. Ryley (Red), Beep (Lightening), Jet (new name TBC!), Oberon/Obi (Spot) and Ruby (Seven) will be heading out into the world to start the next chapter in their lives.

I can't begin to explain what an experience the whole process has been, from making the decision to breed, choosing the stud dog, the mating, the birth, the puppies themselves - a roller coaster, and one I wouldn't have missed for anything in the world. I loved each of my dogs from the moment they entered my life, and with Ella in particular I've shared many special moments in her agility career as we've moved up the grades. But I think this has to top them all as being her midwife of choice and assisting her first little boy into the world and then being there as one by one the rest joined him - it's an experience I will treasure my whole life.

As they've been socialised in various places, I've often been asked the question 'Are you selling them?' or 'Have they all got homes?', only to be greeted with surprise when I explain the waiting list we had before they were even conceived! That's a good feeling, to know that these puppies were loved and wanted before they were even born - just as their mother is treasured every day of her life.

I expect a few tears will be shed tomorrow, but I want it known that they will be happy ones. There are some good people welcoming these young dogs into their lives and I know that they'll be safe and well within their care. And whilst it's goodbye tomorrow, it's not as if I won't ever see any of them again - with each going to agility homes, I look forward to meeting (and hopefully beating ;)) them as their careers develop. And I'm assured of regular updates as their proud new parents have promised to keep in touch with special news. Plus I take comfort from the fact that as these new puppies fly the nest, my darling Ella puppy will be all mine again and she, Kai & Diva will be able to have more of the attention that they undoubtedly deserve. As a family we've all played our part in these puppies early days, but now's a good time to say farewell. 

Except as I should probably mention, for one particular puppy who seems to have worked her way into my affections - unbeknown to me until just this last week. The dark chocolate puppy we named Galaxy who is so like her mother, but instead a rich, chocolately brown. Sensibility finally deserted me and the heart won out - Borderspirit Temptation is here to stay. We're now a household of 4 dogs - oops! ;)

Today I'm grateful for the wonderful homes awaiting Ella & Tigger's precious puppies - we've done all that we can do, now we're going trust their new owners to do what we know they can do :)

Ella & Tigger's Puppies

Today I'm grateful for Ella's puppies, they are such characters already! :)

Ella & Tigger's puppies

I am extremely proud to announce the arrival of some incredibly beautiful little puppies - not that I'm biased in any way you understand ;) 

The little darlings themselves, along with when they arrived in the world and how much they weighed

There are three recognised stages in the whelping process, so my bible "Book of the Bitch" explains! When the bitch is going through stage one she "will be restless, usually refusing food for as much as 18 - 24 hours, and she may vomit". Ella's first sign was the fact that she didn't initially want her tea on Thursday evening, although she did in the end. That was a bit weird only that she's been so hungry of late, she's been gobbling it down! She was very restless, panting a lot, and wasn't able to settle down. Plus she was following me around rather than just chilling out - the generally picture was one of unease.

Kai keeping her company, not really
understanding what all the fuss was about!

So I duly stayed downstairs with her to keep her company in case we were looking at the pups a day or two early. I don't think either of us slept much, she really wasn't very comfortable. On Friday morning she wasn't interested in her breakfast at all so we didn't push it and made plans for the dogs & children to be taken care of for the day. Even then I wasn't really expecting them all that soon.

Next thing I know there's a pool of liquid on the floor near her rear and I realised that her waters had broken! At this point she was on the duvet that I'd brought down to sleep with, and whilst I wanted her to be comfortable I was a bit worried that I couldn't see exactly what was going on where she was. So I asked her to move into the whelping box and she lay on her side, still looking pretty uncomfortable. We could then see her muscles moving in a contraction, and a small white bag like a water balloon appeared from her vulva. I could see a little bit of something that looked like it might be puppy related (!), but really wasn't sure - I was expecting a nose or a foot! This was at 8.35am so the vets weren't quite there to ask, but I left a message with the receptionist for Andy the vet to call back.

Meanwhile I made the decision that it really wasn't the "black, fluid filled bag" of water - this was likely a bag with a puppy in it, so I held her tummy just in front of her hind legs (as it had described in the book) to help her contractions focus on getting the 'bag' out. At the same time I tried to provide the "gentle traction" downwards to persuade the bag to come out, but it was all slippy and not very easy to grip at all! Whilst I was trying to do that it popped, so then I'm thinking "Eek, need to get puppy out now it hasn't got its protective bag round it", grabbed the little body and out the first little pup popped! The little bit of something that I'd seen in the bag had been a tail (feet first - breech birth), hence the difficulties in being born. Our first puppy - a gorgeous red & white boy! Since both parents have to be carriers of the red gene to produce red puppies (as the gene is recessive), I was delighted to find out she was a carrier :)

Welcome to the world baby boy!

After that I'd have to describe the process as something approaching shelling peas! I don't recall it being so easy when I was having my boys, that's for sure! 1st pup was born at 8.50am, then 2nd pup at 9.00am, 3rd pup at 9.20am, 4th pup at 9.40am, and 5th at 10.00am. Like clockwork, as I say Ella made it look remarkably easy - a couple of pushes and pop - puppy! At that point we thought we were pretty much set, but then my Ella has always known how to surprise me. After a little rest the 6th puppy arrived at 11.30am, then the 7th and final puppy at 11.50am.

The Borderspirit boys :)

Andy our vet was very helpful at the end of the phone, and just to be sure that we were all done I also had him pop out to check on Ella to make sure we shouldn't be waiting for anybody else! He had a feel but thought not, and she was also much more settled by then and her waistline (astonishingly!) was looking a lot more like its old self. I wish my tummy could bounce back like that! ;)

Ella has given me some incredible experiences already so far, taking me out of my nemesis of Grade 1 KC Agility and showing me that actually that was nothing, why not push for Grade 6 whilst we're about it. Our last show of this season was Prestbury Park where we had an amazing run to win G6 Agility, our first towards G7. That was a pretty cool day, but it pales into insignificance when compared to watching her give birth to her special litter of puppies.

My wonderful, irreplaceable girl with her precious puppies :)

We had the most amazing day welcoming Ella & Tigger's precious puppies into the world. I was in the privileged position of midwife throughout and I was so thrilled to be alongside her as she met each of her puppies, and touched that she was happy for me to handle them and be involved in the whole process. Our bond was pretty strong before, but I think it may have even shifted up a few more gears from there.

So the first Borderspirit litter has arrived! So far it would seem that we have been blessed with strong, healthy little puppies that appear to be thriving with the love and attention their wonderful mother is bestowing on them. The agility community has embraced and rejoiced at their entrance into the world, in the way that any family does. New friendships have been forged between those involved, with links that will no doubt remain in place for a lifetime. Many good homes have been found for these precious little ones, and preparations for their homecomings are being lovingly planned. Life is good :)

Today I am grateful that not only do we have some amazing puppies, but most importantly, their extraordinary mother is thriving and well. Whilst the pups will be fabulous, their mother is one of a kind and I couldn't be without her :)

Goals, preparations & puppy plans!

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend! On Saturday I attended the Kennel Club's first Sports Coaching for Agility Handlers seminar. All the speakers were very good, but Natasha Wise in particular was fantastic! She gave a great presentation on the 'Practical Application of Sports Science' a subject which she studied at university and has obviously successfully used the lessons - twice Medium World Champion with her lovely merle collie Dizzy. I learnt a great deal from her talk and I'm very excited about incorporating some of her suggestions into the training plans for my own dogs and that of the dogs that I teach. 

Last season I really felt like I let Ella down a lot by not being mentally prepared for our runs, to the point where I would sometimes have to just stop and wait a moment before remembering where I was supposed to be going! My training plan for the winter incorporates both mental training, but also some fitness for me - the New Year will see me in the hands of a local personal trainer, working off those pounds - eek!

Despite the extra hour today, I've still rushed around like a headless chicken a bit. Lovely walk this morning with friends along the River Yeo in Congresbury close to where we live and then off to Diva's training session in Bristol for 11.30am. I love that little dog her attitude and spirit are great to work with and she's really enjoying her training sessions - whether for the social side or the agility I couldn't tell you ;-)

Finally, this afternoon I sat down and worked out a specific plan for the next few months - for those of you that aren't a member of our Facebook group you may not be aware that my lovely Ella is pregnant and due in just 3 short weeks time! Her waistline is starting to disappear and she seems a little hungrier than normal, but apart from that it's hard to tell - she's still racing around with Diva out on a walk at the moment :)

I have been dreaming about a litter from Ella for so long now, I can hardly believe that we will soon have puppies in the house! She was mated to a fantastic boy, Harrjak Tigger (or Tigs to his friends ;-)) with an equally wonderful temperament and disposition. I'm sure they're going to make some fabulous puppies who will go onto make their new owners very happy.

In addition to that I'm also knee deep in plans for some new training classes - my friend Suzy Field is rounding up her Mutt Manners Kennel Club Good Citizen classes at Christmas and I will be taking them on in the New Year under the Daybreak banner. They take place in St John's Hall on Hillside Road in Clevedon on Tuesday evenings between 6pm - 9pm. Whilst we'll be following the KCGC curriculum, as usual we'll have our own exciting flavour to add to the classes - more details to follow shortly! :-)

Today I am grateful for the many wonderful opportunities and avenues that sparkle brightly in front of me - I am truly blessed :-)

Great dogs

I have just returned from walking Kai & Ella, and feel very relaxed and happy as a result. Due to me becoming a dog walker, we don't walk by ourselves very much anymore and it's something I should do much more often. Great for stress busting, and believe me the last week has given me cause for needing it.

Tomorrow will be a week since Diva, my lovely, bright little puppy - broke her leg. I wish that last bit wasn't true, but very sadly it is. We were walking on the beach at Weston-Super-Mare when a couple of dogs started racing around chasing each other. Diva was just stood still trying to be out of their way when they ran over her - they rolled her and as she went over she screamed out in pain. Not a sound that any owner wants to be familiar with in their dog.

After gathering up the other dogs and putting the children back into their car seats, we headed to our vets and Diva had a conscious x-ray taken which confirmed my suspicions - a fractured femur. The very same injury that Ella suffered from after jumping off the sea wall at Clevedon when she was 6 months old. I think I'll be staying away from beaches with my dogs from now on, we obviously don't mix well.

On the plus side the bone was fractured in the middle which made repairing it that much simpler, and we made use of Diva's insurance policy by employing Dr Hamish Denny to repair the damage. He's one of the best orthopedic specialists in the country, and I am eternally grateful he's local to us. We also have the benefit of knowing the veterinary rehabilitation specialists at the Smart clinic in Cardiff, and Lowri has given me further advice to get us through the next 4 weeks until we can start a program to rehabilitate her properly.

Whilst Diva was understandably quiet and very un-Diva like at first, each day she is clearly feeling a bit stronger and I'm pleased to report that it would appear her spark was only subdued, it isn't lost completely. During me writing this post she has whined for help getting out in the garden - our scary tabby cat was guarding the exit - so it seems her faith in me as protector is undimmed. We've had to forget recall training for the minute as she had taken on board the message that her 'Come' cue means get to whoever's calling you as fast as you can - it's too nerve wracking and far too dangerous at present. So if we need her we go collect her and walk her to wherever we want her to be. The lead walks only thing doesn't seem to bother her either, as she associates the lead with lots of treats - Diva heaven :-)

Despite this bad luck I'm determined that this won't affect the rest of the year. There are some things we can't control no matter how much we would like to. But we can control our attitude and reaction to those things that are taken out of our hands. My decision about Diva's accident is to allow a little time for feeling sad, take stock, and then move on in a constructive way. I'll keep you posted with our progress - I'm swinging back and forth between the feeling sad/ taking stock stage at present ;-)

Today I'm grateful for Kai, Ella & Diva and all the life lessons they've taught me, as well as my wonderful family and friends who support me when times get tough.

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.

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!